The Case of the Bone Struck Heart
by stanleydoodles
Summary: Sequel to the Bone Interpreter and A Study in Bones. Kylie Gibbs went across the globe to get away from Sherlock Holmes, but when a case brings them back together, will sparks be reignited? Or will one of them be destroyed? Sherlock/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Thanks so much to everyone who read my last story and the one before that! My finals are over…YAY! So I have one week off and then my life gets crazy once more, so enjoy the updates while they last!**

**This chapter isn't too exciting, but it will be shortly…hopefully. Let me know what you guys think!**

Kylie jogged down the beach, enjoying the way that the sand was making her legs burned as she breathed in the fresh, ocean air. She loved her morning runs on the beach; she had forgotten how nice it was to run in the fresh air of San Diego.

It had been three months since she moved to San Diego, and truthfully it had been one of the best decisions she ever made.

Her run slowed to a stop as she finished her loop. She walked up to her car, unlocking the door and pulling a towel out before removing her shirt and shorts, just leaving her in her bathing suit. Shutting the car, she walked back onto the beach and laid the towel down on the warm sand. Kylie smiled as she lay onto of it, feeling the warm sun hit her bronzed skin.

This was the life. She had a great job with the FBI, a home close to the beach front, and she was working with her old partner…. well she really didn't know if that was a plus.

She had started working with Charlie right after she graduated from George Washington University. Of course they were both in DC at the time, but once Kylie had left, he took a job here in San Diego. That's most likely why Kylie had been able to get the job here so quickly, no one else could work with him.

"Well," a male voice said above her blocking the sun's rays from hitting her, "this is definitely a lovely sight to see in the morning. Is this what you do every morning? If so, I will definitely begin to join you."

Kylie rolled her eyes before opening them to see a handsome muscular blond man standing there with that annoying grin on his face.

"Are you following me now Charlie?" Kylie asked her partner.

"You wish Kylie," he joked as he pulled her up into a standing position, "We have a case."

"So instead of calling me, you had to come down here and get me yourself?" Kylie asked picking up her stuff and walking towards her car, "I have a phone you know."

"I just wanted to see your lovely face this early in the morning," Charlie said as he watched a busty blond jog past him.

Kylie raised her eyebrows at him before rolling her eyes, "yeah, you wanted to see my face, not just be a pervert on the beach."

"Kylie, I would never do that, I am a gentlemen. And we need to hurry up and get to the crime scene before the trail gets cold," Charlie said as he handed Kylie her bag to get dressed so that they could get to the crime scene.

**%$*&#**

"Yeah," Kylie said as they arrived on the crime scene together, "A bikini contest? No wonder you were in such a hurry to get here. Its like your perverted paradise."

"Women, little to no clothing, on a beach. Bronzed skin glistening as they oil up the models, God, I love my job," Charlie said as he looked around him giving passing girls a flirty smile.

Kylie glared at him as they crossed under the tape, "You are a pig."

Charlie just turned and smiled at her.

"What do we got?" Kylie asked as they approached the DC Detective.

"Hey Doc," Detective Hernandez said a he turned around to look at them, "Edwards. Victims white female mid twenties, and I have to warn you, its pretty gruesome."

"I'm sure they've seen every type of gruesome," Detective Gabriel Jones said as she walked out and glared at Charlie, "I mean she has to deal with him all day."

Kylie turned and looked at Charlie expectantly.

"Hey…" Charlie said as he trailed off, trying to remember something.

"GABBIE! You don't even remember my name?" detective Jones said as she thrusted some bagged evidence at him before rolling her eyes and stalking off.

Charlie bit his lip nervously as he and Kylie walked into the beach restroom to find the body.

"Let me guess, you slept with her?' Kylie asked.

"Yep"

"And you never called her?"

No answer.

"Seriously? You need to stop sleeping with people we work with!" Kylie said as they peered into the stall where the body lay. Only to find an auburn haired woman laying face down in a blue bathing suit.

"Where else am I supposed to meet people?" Charlie asked.

"Oh, I don't know a bar? A sports league? Anything! Just not people that we work with, " Kylie said donning gloves before walking into the blood covered stall to look at the body.

"She's hot," Charlie argued.

"So you bang her and never call her again, then expect for everything to be okay and dandy when we have to work with them?" Kylie asked sarcastically as she rolled to body over, only to have her breath catch in her throat.

"Oh, wait, why don't you tell me how you met your last two ex's? Hey, that's the same swim suit you had on," Charlie noted before seeing Kylie pale slightly, "you okay?"

Kylie looked over the body, the auburn haired woman's throat was slit and she had been gutted like a fish. Small crosses were cut into her body and across the top part of her chest the killer had carved the words IM BACK into her body.

"Oh God," Kylie muttered underneath her breath before looking up at Charlie, "Did Hernandez find any ID? What did she do for a living?"

Charlie gave her a strange look, something was up with her, "That's what you usually tell me. What's up?"

"Just go ask," Kylie said quickly.

"Okay," Charlie said throwing up his hands in defense before walking out.

Kylie looked at the body, it couldn't be him. He had stopped killing three months ago when Kylie had left London. Lestrade and John had kept in touch, not to mention Mary and it was like the Ripper had gone into hiding. Now, three months later, on the other side of the globe, another victim shows up with auburn hair and dressed in the same swimsuit that she had been wearing this morning.

"The victim was a model, but she's got a record," Charlie said as he walked back in, "She was arrested back in 2009 for…"

"Prostitution," Kylie finished before getting up and taking off her gloves.

"How did you know that?" Charlie asked, "What's going on Kylie?"

"This has to be coincidence," Kylie muttered as she ran a hand through her hair.

"What is?" Charlie asked, now concerned for his partner, "you need to talk to me Ky."

"My last case in London," Kylie started to tell him as she paced the small bathroom, "It was a jack the Ripper copy cat case. He stalked and chose his victims while essentially recreating the murders actually preformed by the Ripper. Though they differed in violence, he had almost all of the details correct, with the exception of the fact that they all had dyed auburn hair and blue contacts."

"He dressed the victims to look like you?" Charlie asked in shock, "Kylie, this is serious."

"Well when I left, the killer stopped. He went under the radar, but now, he may be back."

"Maybe?" Charlie asked incredulously, "Of course he's back! He wrote it on her chest."

"Could just be a coincidence," Kylie said, trying to convince herself that it was.

"Uh, its definitely not. We have to call this in. We need all the files of the other victims if this guy is really back here."

"No," Kylie said a little too quickly, "Ask for the files, but whatever you do, don't invite them to help with the case."

Charlie raised an eyebrow at her as they walked out of the restroom, "Why? I thought you kept in touch with people at the Yard."

"I do, but just please…."

"Why?"

"They'll get in the way," Kylie lied.

"It's their jurisdiction if the crime occurred there first," Charlie said before stopping, realization coming over his face, "you don't want to see your ex."

Kylie looked up at the sky in annoyance; she did not want this right now.

"Look who's calling the kettle black now, miss you-should-never-date-people-you-work-with" Charlie said with a grin.

"Okay first of all, he didn't even work for the Yard," Kylie argued.

"You said you left because you couldn't work with him anymore."

"He consulted…on almost every case…but STILL, we didn't work together."

"You are a hypocrite you know that right?"

"Charlie, shut up," Kylie said as they got into the car and drove back to the Hoover building.

**Like I said, not too exciting!**

**Review? Let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow…So thanks so much to everyone who read and favorite, and alerted this story and a MASSIVE hug to those of reviewed! I love the feedback!**

**Finals went very well (Thanks for asking Kiara d'Arc Erzsebeth) I'm just glad I have a week off to decompress before summer school starts! (Sarcastic YAY). And I really don't know if this will be a crossover or not, well, it will depend on how you classify crossover…**

**This is literally how I write my stories. I sit in front of a computer and type. I have a sort of plan where this is going, but I really don't know until I finish the chapter. So it could. Let me know how you guys feel about NCIS MAYBE making another appearance. It will most likely be Kylie talking to people, but I may have them show up..**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy!**

"So why did the two of you break up anyways?" Charlie asked as he flashed a smile to the new and quite endowed receptionist.

Kylie groaned, the last thing that she wanted was Charlie pressuring her about Sherlock.

"Differences," Kylie stated as they stepped into the elevator to go up to their floor.

"Yeah, and Bert and Ernie were shunned on Sesame Street due to their differences."

Kylie just glared at him.

"Come on Kylie! I'm your partner! Why on earth did the two of you break up? Because differences is not the most descriptive word."

Kylie rolled her eyes as she stepped off of the elevator, Charlie close behind. He was never going to drop this.

"Look, will you drop it already?" she tried as the receptionist handed her messages.

"Dr. Gibbs, you have a visitor in you office," she told her as Kylie thanked her and walked towards her office while Charlie followed her like a puppy.

"I can't drop it," he said with a smile, "You have to tell me, it has to do with the case!"

Kylie walked into her office, completely forgetting that the receptionist had placed her visitor in her office as she turned to Charlie, and began to lose her patience.

"Charlie, I said drop it, okay! Look I left London to get over him, the last thing that I need is you bringing it up every two seconds. I made a mistake, I hurt him and now he resents me for it. So just drop it."

"I wouldn't say he resents you," a voice said from behind her.

Kylie turned to see none other than Mycroft Holmes leaning against her desk with a smile.

Kylie gaped, Mycroft hadn't spoken to her since the breakup, which by itself was a slight shock he hadn't tried to mettle in their relationship.

"You know her ex?" Charlie asked, his face lighting up slightly with intrigue about Kylie's past relationships, "What's he like?"

"Okay bye Charlie!" Kylie said shoving him out the door and shutting it in his face, locking it.

They could hear Charlie arguing through the door and wiggling the lock to get in as Kylie turned to Mycroft.

"What are you doing here?"

Mycroft smiled at her, "I was in the area, I just came to visit."

"Yeah," Kylie said skeptically, "What do you want Mycroft? You always have an underlying agenda."

"You don't trust me."

"I don't trust politicians."

Mycroft laughed lightly, "You always were such a clever girl. Its no wonder my brother is fascinated by you."

"Is?" Kylie asked, "I haven't spoken to him in three months. I'd be surprised if he hadn't deleted me from his mind palace yet."

"My brother has a very odd way of showing remorse and sadness. All of which he has done in tremendous amounts since you have left."

"I wish I could believe that," Kylie said as she walked behind her desk and booted up her computer. She was done with this conversation, and she was just hoping that Mycroft would go away.

"He's pining after you."

Kylie scoffed, "Sherlock doesn't pine Mycroft"

"He is in his own way," Mycroft told her as he took the seat opposite of her, "He barely eats."

"He barely ate before I left."

"He's been picky about his cases."

"Have you met your brother? He's always been like that?"

"He's been argumentative."

"Okay, seriously! Have you met him?"

"He's composing…"

That shut Kylie up. She had never seen him compose, but John had told her it was one of the "danger" signs that they were supposed to look for.

"He misses you," Mycroft told her.

_Kylie, you were doing well, do not start this again… its over between the two of you._

"He doesn't," Kylie said breaking her staring contest with Mycroft and turning her attention to her computer.

"You were good for him you know," Mycroft pressed.

"What do you want me to do Mycroft?" Kylie asked snapping finally, "I hurt him, and I know that. I made a mistake. I apologized, I put up with his crap for months, only to grovel at his feet once more for him to take me back. I'm not proud of doing that, but I cared for him too much not to. He rejected me, and I respect that. It's his decision, not mine."

"You should go back to London."

Kylie raised an eyebrow at him; he knew something that she didn't.

"I'm happy here in San Diego. If Sherlock wants me back then he can put on his big boy pants and apologize. But that's not why you are trying to convince me of that is it? You know something, so either spit it out or get the hell out of my office, I have a case."

Mycroft smiled at her. She really was quite perfect for his little brother.

"Have you spoken to John lately?"

"Yes, I always kept in touch with him…." Then it all clicked for Kylie.

_That rat bastard._

"You manipulative son of a bitch," Kylie said looking at him, "You want me to move back to London and take John's spot at Baker Street because John is getting engaged and most likely moving in with Mary, leaving Sherlock on his own. We both know how that will go over, and so you came here to try to convince me that he misses me. Do you really expect me to go running back, like a pitiful high school girl just so that I can become his babysitter? The answer is no, no I'm not doing that. If you care about him as much as you claim, you would look after your brother rather then try to pawn him off on other people. Sherlock is a grown man, maybe if you stopped trying to be his mother and started being a brother, you would have more success with him."

Mycroft just sat there smiling at her.

"You really are quite brilliant, much more than my brother realizes," he said standing up and leaving.

"Good luck with your case Miss Gibbs. It was lovely seeing you."

Kylie gave him a strange look, "I wish I could say the same Mycroft."

Mycroft walked out the door, twirling his umbrella as he went.

She stared out the door after him as she saw Charlie try to follow him before the director grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into Kylie's office.

"So I heard that the two of you have a serial killer from across the pond," Director Hastings asked Charlie and Kylie, "Why wasn't I told?"

Kylie sighed. FBI director Todd Hastings was a man of authority. If there was one thing that pissed him off more than anything, it was the fact that his agents withheld information from him, though his definition of withholding was much different than most people. They were about to endure a military style ass-chewing from a three star general who decided for a career change and move to the FBI.

"Sir we just made the…" Kylie started.

"I don't want to hear it," Hasting said the vein on his forehead popping out slightly, "The SECOND that you make that connection, you need to let me know. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir," both Charlie and Kylie replied.

"Now, this case? It's a Jack the Ripper Copy-cat?"

"Yeah, he was killing in London three months ago when I was working at Scotland Yard. He was good, careful. Didn't leave anything behind except some saliva on a kidney that was mailed to me, but that was a dead end, it belonged to another one of the victims, telling us that he did in fact take souvenirs from his victims, just as the real Ripper did."

"Have you notified Scotland Yard?" Hastings asked.

Kylie flashed a quick glance as Charlie, who was looking at her.

"No, not yet," Charlie said slowly.

"Why not?" Hastings barked as he walked out, "Call them, and get them out here with the files before this bastard kills again. The last thing that I need is a serial killer on the loose."

Charlie watched him go before turning back to smile at Kylie, "You'd better call your ex. Looks like you two will be working together once more."

**Not too exciting once more, but it will begin to pick up!**

**Sherlock will be in the next chapter so don't fret! It will get interesting soon!**

**Review? It makes my day!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks so much to everyone who sent me a review! I love the feedback! Its prob the only reason why I still write this story!**

**Spinner12:**** Haha, I think you were the only one to catch that. And yes, she did not understand at all, why Mycroft was really there. **

**PeaceTia:**** I may! I will try to fit him in somewhere, but it may be a little while.**

**ChelGallifreya221B613:**** …..That he does….**

**Radom-anime-gamer: Thanks a bunch!**

**A huge thanks to MonsterPenguin, Sky Writes, GoldBee, and kie1993 for their reviews also!**

BANG BANG BANG

John rushed into the flat to find a very bored and irritable Sherlock shooting the wall in a various positions.

"WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" John yelled as he grabbed the gun away from Sherlock.

"Bored," Sherlock said as flopped down on the chair.

"So you shoot at the wall? What did the wall do to you?"

"The wall had it coming," Sherlock said slightly miserably.

John rolled his eyes, Sherlock had been a handful since the day that Kylie left. He had been quiet and cut off. He had begun to compose like crazy. In the last three months he had written stacks of sheet music, each song slow and somber. John knew he was upset about Kylie leaving, but every time he brought up her name, Sherlock almost bit his head off.

The weirdest part was, was that Sherlock had begun to turn down cases, especially those where the body was just skeletal remains. Though he would never admit it, John hypothesized that this was because he knew he couldn't solve the case without Kylie.

These changes were subtle, only John was able to see them. Hell, Mary didn't think that he was effected by Kylie leaving at all, though he had become very fond of deducing embarrassing information out of Mary every chance he got.

"Sherlock seriously? You have cases to work on," John pleaded with him.

"Those are all boring, not worth my time." Sherlock said as he picked up his violin and began plucking at it mercislessly.

John sighed, there was no getting through to him. Leave it to Sherlock to ruin what was most likely the best night of his life upon his return to Baker Street.

"You know Lestrade has brought you about 15 cases in the last month and you have only taken about half of them."

"Its not my fault the police are idiots and cant even solve the most elementary of cases," Sherlock said bordly.

"Sherlock," John said slowly, carefully choosing his words, "its been three months."

Sherlock jumped up and went to the window, picking up his bow and turning his back on John, "Three months since what?"

John dropped his head, why was Sherlock just in denile about this….still…..

"Since Kylie left."

As soon as those words left his mouth, Sherlock froze for a moment before continuing to bring his bow up to play.

"That is irrelevant John," Sherlock said before he began playing.

John sighed, this was of no use. He had tried to convince Sherlock to go after her, but he would just scoff, say something rude, and then begin composing those slow and slightly depressing songs once more. He didn't know what to do anymore. John had trued to distract him with cases, but none had truly sparked his interest. He would just look at the photos of the ripper case and then begin composing once more. He and Lestrade couldn't pull him away from this case…or his violin for that matter.

John just wanted Sherlock to get back to his normal self.

**&%$*&  
**

Lestrade ran a hand over his face. This case was going to be the death of him. About a week ago, a burned body had showed up in a house fire. Mary had been able to say that she was murdered base on the fact that there was a huge knife gash in the victims throat, but they had been unable to identify the victim and whether or not she had any other injuries. They had nothing. They had a stack of burned bones and that was it.

He tried to get Sherlock on the case, but he had told him "I have better things to do with my time". This was a nightmare, first he had lost the best forensic anthropologist ever to walk through those doors and now he had lost Sherlock Holmes, his greatest asset.

This was a disaster. He had no where else to go with this case. They had exhausted every other lead.

Lestrade was pulled out of his thoughts when the phone rang.

"Detective Inspector Lestrade," he answered.

"Hey Greg," Kylie's voice flowed over the phone.

Lestrade almost dropped his coffee, "Kylie! How are you?"

"Alright Greg," Kylie's voice was laced with worry.

"You sure about that?"

There was a pause.

"He's back Greg. The Ripper."

Lestrade felt his breath catch in his throat, "Are you sure? He hasn't killed in three months."

"I'm positive. I had a body show up in San Diego with the same method of killing. Throat slit, gutted, dyed auburn haitr, blue contacts and the fact that he engraved the words 'I'm Back' into her chest."

"Seriously? He's in the States?"

"Yeah," Kylie said, "So how about you bring all of the casefiles and come over to the states so we can catch this son of a bitch? A joint investigation."

"Yeah, let me clear it and well be on the first flight over," Lestrade said.

"Just one thing," Kylie said, "Is there anyway you cannot…"

"Bring Sherlock?" Lestrade finished.

Kylie laughed lightly, "Am I that obvious?"

"Um…yeah," Lestrade said leaning back, "He misses you you know? He'll never admit it, but he's turned down almost every case I've brought him."

"You are the second person to tell me that in the last hour," Kylie told him.

"Who was the first?"

"Mycroft showed up at my office."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah I know."

Lestrade heard a male voice talking to Kylie before she came back on the line.

"Look, Lestrade I gotta run, but I'll see you soon? Text me your flight details and I'll pick you up."

"Sounds good Kylie. I'll see you soon."

Lestrade hung up, he needed to get the files together.

…Crap…Sherlock had the case files. Damn him feeling sorry for the poor bloke.

He had to get the files back and not let Sherlock know what was going on…this was going to be hell.

Lestrade ran a hand through his hair when the phone rang for a second time. He looked at it curiously before picking it up.

"Detective Inspector Lestrade,"

"Hey. I'm assuming my partner just spoke to you about the Ripper Copy-cat case. You were the original lead on the case correct?" a male voice said on the other end of the phone.

"Uh, yeah. You're Kylie's partner?"

The man laughed lightly on the other end of the phone, "Yep. Hey did she tell you not to bring that genius ex-boyfriend of hers?"

"Sherlock yeah."

"Well you should. She just doesn't want him here to make things uncomfortable, but they both need to be on it if you ever want to solve the case."

This guy was right. He knew Kylie missed him and truthfully, and it would take both of them to solve this case. Maybe getting those files back would be easier than he thought.

**%#$*!&**

"Kylie you run like fifteen times a day! Its not healthy!" Charlie argued as they drove to the airport.

Lestrade had texted her telling them that they were flying in at eight the next morning. Who 'they' were was a mystery to Kylie, but all that she had to say was that she was not looking forward to dealing with Donovan once more.

Charlie had picked her up as she was on her morning run and began berating her as soon as she had gotten ready.

"I do not run 15 times a day! I run once in the morning and once in the evening with Toby."

Toby was a retired police dog that Kylie had acquired upon her move to San Diego. He had been shot in action and recently healed, but due to his injuries, Toby could not return to field work, so Kylie had taken him in as a pet. She loved that dog. He was the most cuddly German Shepard and was fiercly protective of her when the time was needed. Kylie had been out running with Toby when a man kept following her. Thank God she had Toby with her, he kept growling and barking at the man until he had finally retreated away.

"Running your dog can also happen in the morning!" Charlie argued as they parked the car and walked into the airport, "I'm sure Toby doesn't mind getting up early."

"I like to run, it clears my head."

"Not to mention clear the sexual tension you still feel from your ex who is half-way across the world."

Kylie glared at him as they waited down the escalator.

"Okay, first of all, you have no idea about my ex. And second of all, I have no sexual tension!"

Charlie laughed, "yeah, that's why you've been asked out on several dates since you've been here and turned down every single one."

"Oh, and this is coming from the King of one night stands."

"I can have a real relationship when I want one."

Kylie scoffed, "You are more afraid of commitment then a cat is afraid of water."

"I am not! I'm just not ready to settle down."

"Yeah, you just like having booty calls and annoying me by sleeping everyone that we work with and making our job ten times more difficult because I have to keep these women from ripping your throat out….not that I would blame them."

"Kylie!" Kylie heard Lestrade's voice say form across the way.

She turned to See Lestrade walking towards her with John in tow. John? Why was John here? Not that she minded….

Then she saw it. That all too familiar dark curly hair and piercing blue eyes. Kylie was stopped in her tracks as their eyes connected. She hadn't laid eyes on him in three months and an overwhelming amount of emotion overwhelmed her. Her stomach flipped, electricity shot through her body. Sherlock was stopped in his tracks also as he just stared back.

"Special agent Charlie Edwards," Charlie said introducing himself to Lestrade and John as he noted that Kylie was locked in a gaze.

"Ky?" Kylie heard Charlie say from beside her as they all looked between the two of them.

Kylie snapped out of it and turned to Lestrade and John and hugged each of them. When she hugged Lestrade she whispered, "What in the hell is he doing here?"

Lestrade pulled back and glanced at Charlie, "Your partner told me to bring him."

Kylie turned and glared murderously at Charlie.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Charlie said recognizing the murderous look that Kylie had on her face, "I had nothing to do with that!"

"You rat basard!" Kylie said turning on Charlie, "you just had to stick your nose in my business. You cant stand not knowing every aspect of my life!"

"That's rich coming from you!" Charlie argued back as people in the airport began to look at them.

"And why is that?"

"Because you are the most controlling person that I know! You hate not having control that's why you get so mad about my love life."

"Kylie," Lestrade tried to input, but Kylie cut him off as she argued with Charlie.

"The only reason why I get so upset about your 'conquests' is because they are ALL PEOPLE THAT WE WORK WITH!"

"Kylie!" Lestrade yelled, finally getting her attention.

"WHAT?" Kylie asked, still clearly upset.

"The man on the phone who talked to me was British," Lestrade said, "Its your other partner."

Kylie and Charlie froze.

"What?" Lestrade asked.

"Charlie is my only partner and there is no one at the FBI who is British," Kylie said breathlessly.

"So who called Lestrade?" John asked.

"The killer," Sherlock said as he approached, stopping next to Kylie. He felt his heart flutter and race from their closeness, "Its part of his game. He wants both Kylie and I to play the game."

They all looked at each other, this guy had just raised the stakes and forced them all to play.

**Review?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks so much to everyone who read and a massive hug to all of those who reviewed! I love you guys!**

**GoldBee:**** Thanks! And no, Toby was not the dog that Abby saved. I think she named him Jethro…if I remember correctly and to tell you the truth, I completely forgot about that episode! It was originally a reference to the Sherlock Holmes Novels. In one of the stories, Sherlock barrows a dog named Toby to assist with a case. Granted, it wasn't a German Shepard, but I'm rather fond of that breed. **

**SuperFunkyGirl:**** Its all good! I appreciate any review when I can get them! And that's funny I think you are the first person to hate Charlie and I thought a lot more people would hate him…but he is rather fun to write.**

**CrimsonTigerLily****: Thanks so much! And yeah, it is a little difficult isn't it! Good luck though! I'll have to check out your story when I have some time. I have like three I need to check out and haven't had time yet, but I will eventually!  
**

**ChelGalliffreya221B613: ****yes they do! And more sparks fly here! Don't worry! And the person…well….you'll find out soon enough….**

**Dea de Verum:**** Wow….so that is a massive compliment! For real! Thanks so much! I really don't feel that this is that great of a story when I write it, but people tell me otherwise so I keep writing! But once again, thanks so much!**

**Gwilwillith:**** So I owe you a HUGE Apology! I completely did not put your name in my thanks in the last chapter! I figured that out a couple hours after I posted and I am SO SORRY! I felt horrible! So my profuse apologies!  
**

**JumperGuy:**** Thanks! Charlie is quite fun to write I have to say! And deduce rant….will be soon!**

**A huge thanks to Thegirlwiththebrowneyes, Littlefootthewarrior, MonsterPenguin, and PeaceTia for their reviews also!**

**Okay, this is literally like the shortest chapter ever, but I felt that it needed to be its own chapter for the sake of the flow, so it is.**

**I'll have another up later today!**

**Enjoy!**

The ride back to the Hoover building was in a stressed awkward silence. Kylie never knew that there was such a thing, but due to the stress of the fact that Lestrade was contacted by an unknown person, and the awkwardness between Sherlock and Kylie was so immense you could cut it with a knife.

Kylie was sitting silently in the passenger seat as Charlie drove the SUV down the freeway, looking frequently in the rearview mirror.

"So what was it like dating Kylie?" Charlie asked suddenly before Kylie punched him in the arm and glared daggers.

"Ow!" Charlie said, "I'm driving! Don't punch the driver!"

"The driver should stop being a douche!" Kylie huffed, "you are not allowed to ask him any questions."

"Not allowed?" Charlie asked glancing at her, "You are so controlling!"

"I am not controlling! You just don't need to stick your nose in my business and just leave Sherlock alone. You don't need to be berating him!"

"Says the queen of sticking her nose in my business!"

"YOU force me to stick my nose in it because you only sleep with people that we work with!"

"CHILDREN!" John said in exasperation.

Kylie and Charlie stopped immediately in slight shock of John yelling at them.

"Seriously? I thought you and Sherlock were bad!" John muttered.

"So you two argued a lot? I bet you two had hot make up…OW!" Charlie said with a grin before yelling once more as Kylie punched him in the arm.

"Do we need to separate you two?" John said, not realizing how much he just sounded like a parent dealing with two bickering siblings he sounded like.

"No…." Kylie muttered as she settled back into her seat.

The ride was silent once more as they rode back. Charlie looked in the rearview mirror and saw Sherlock who was sitting in the far back just staring at the back of Kylie's head blankly. Charlie smiled; the guy still had feelings for his partner. This was going to be interesting.

"So what is the copy-cats motive behind having both of us on the case? Why does he care and how in the hell did he know…" Kylie trailed off, not really wanting to say that she asked Lestrade not to bring Sherlock.

"He wants to play a game. One that won't be nearly as fun with only you. He wants both of us, he wants a challenge," Sherlock said completely missing the fact that Kylie had wanted to avoid him.

"But how did he know that Kylie had just called me?" Lestrade asked.

"Well, we've established that he stalked his victims. He most likely did the same with us to see where we were on his case," Kylie added as they pulled up to the Hoover building, getting out of the car.

"So he was stalking all of us too? That's not creepy," Lestrade as he grabbed the box of files out of the back as Kylie and Sherlock came up next.

Kylie went to grab a box and found her hands connect with someone else. Electricity sent shock waves through her body and she knew exactly who it was. She slowly looked up as she stopped breathing slightly. Her eyes locked with the blue piercing ones as she noted how close they were. She saw his eyes soften and pupils dilate. Was he feeling this too? They were so close, she could feel the heat radiating off of his body.

"Oh yeah, no sexual tension whatsoever," Charlie said as he grinned at them, snapping them out of their trance.

Kylie glared as she blushed profusely a tried to grab the box, but strong hand pulled it away from her.

"I got it," Sherlock said as she saw a slight blush on his neck. Kylie looked at him before nodding as she walked beside him and into the Hoover building leaving John, Lestrade, and Charlie behind.

Charlie grinned at the pair of them, "This is going to be so much fun."

John chuckled lightly before he turned and stared at Kylie and Sherlock's retreating form. Maybe there was hope for them after all.

**Thoughts? Feelings? Critiques?**

**Review?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I seriously love you guys! It makes my day every time I get a review!**

**Kiara d'Arc Erzsebeth:**** Thanks so much! I'm glad to be helpful! I know how stressful studying can be!**

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**I really appreciate your guys reviews! **

**Its been really interesting about half of you guys love Charlie and the other hate him! Hahaha, he's a mix of a bunch of charcters and people that I know. **

**Also, I watched a new TV show today and saw a scene in it, and a guy who is oddly, a LOT like Charlie and so I had to add it in here. So sorry to those of you who saw it and know what I am talking about. I changed it slightly, but its pretty similar. **

**I hope you guys enjoy!**

"So pretty much as of right now, we have nothing else other than a new body," Kylie said as she ran her hands through her hair, "All of the new evidence hasn't come back from the lab yet."

"So you guys had 4 bodies in a week and then this guy just fell off the face of the planet for three months?" Charlie asked as he walked back into the conference room where they were spread out and handed Kylie her cup of coffee he had gotten for her.

"Yeah, this bastards a whole ton of crazy," Lestrade said as he gave Kylie a curious look as she looked at her phone while getting up from her chair, taking her coffee with her.

"Come on," Kylie said as she put her phone away, "some of that evidence just came in."

Kylie lead them out and down the hallway back into the elevator. She pressed the down button as they all squeezed in. The doors shut and Kylie couldn't help but notice how close Sherlock was once more.

Goddammit….she was finally beginning to get over him and now this happens. Her hormones were going off of the wall. Just smelling him made her want to shove him up against the wall and have …

_Seriously Kylie? Snap out of it! Its not going to happen! You two are done!_

"Sexual tension…" Charlie whispered teasingly in her ear form behind her.

Knowing exactly where he was at Kylie shoved her elbow hard into his diaphragm, knocking the wind out of him and keeling him over right as the elevator doors opened.

Sherlock, John and Lestrade just all stared at Charlie as Kylie walked out of the elevator just as if nothing had happened. Sherlock was the first one to move as he glanced down at Charlie before following Kylie down the hallway and falling into pace beside her.

"Damn Woman," Charlie coughed out as he stood up.

Lestrade laughed lightly as the three of them caught up to Kylie and Sherlock.

They turned into a door that said AUTOPSY when Charlie made a strange whining noise and stayed outside the door and leaned up against the wall with his phone while the others entered the room. Kylie realized Charlie wasn't behind them and popped her head out the door.

"Charlie," Kylie said, "What are you doing?"

"Oh, uh…I'm just gonna make a phone call, you guys go ahead."

Kylie sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Did you sleep with the coroner?"

Charlie shut his eyes as if expecting a punch form Kylie before nodding slowly.

"One night stand?" She asked.

Charlie nodded once more.

"Never called her again?"

Another nod.

Kylie sighed before grabbing Charlie by the ear and dragging him past Lestrade, Sherlock, and John and into the morgue.

"Hey Macie," Kylie said as she let go of Charlie and walked up to the body, "You ready for us yet?"

"My report's not ready yet," Macie said as she looked up at them before glaring at Charlie.

Macie was the coroner that Kylie had met upon her arrival in San Diego. Kylie liked her. She was smart, sarcastic and said what was always on her mind. Charlie liked her too, but that's because she was an extremely pretty Asian woman who had breasts.

"Any preliminary results?" Kylie asked smiling at her.

"yes…" Macie said.

"Great!" Kylie said, "Macie, this is Detective Inspector Lestrade, Sherlock Holmes, and Doctor John Watson. They are with Scotland Yard and helping us with this case."

"It was a serial killing in London right?" Macie asked.

"The body?" Sherlock hinted as he was eager to get started on the case.

Macie glared daggers at him. If there was one thing that Macie hated more than anything, it was dirty manwhores and people who tried to tell her what to do in her own lab.

"Excuse me?" Macie said crossing her arms.

Sherlock opened his mouth before Kylie kicked him in the shins and turned to Macie, trying to distract her as she began chopping up the victim's liver violently.

"So Macie, if you had to kill Charlie…" Kylie began before Macie perked right up and Charlie began to slink up against the wall.

"WOW!" Macie said.

"Yeah, I know," Kylie said a grin now on her face, "how would you do it?"

Charlie began to make a noise of protest at the fact that these two women were plotting his death, but Kylie cut him off once more.

"You see I've been tossing this idea around a lot lately and I think I would strangle him, I think that would be extremely satisfying. And then I would hang him and try to make it look like a suicide."

"You'd get caught. Always evidence, like the one in front of us," Sherlock muttered as he took out his magnifying glass and began to look at the body once more.

"He's right your best bet would be poisioning, insulin or potasstium chloride. Virtually untetectable," Macie said with a smile on her face as she weighed the victims internal organs.

"Ha Ha," Charlie said nervously laughing, ""Though if I turned up dead, you two would be the first two they came after."

"The safest thing would be to leave no corpse behind," Macie said turning to Kylie.

Lestrade and John glanced at each other before snickering like school girls. These two women had Charlie by the collar and were going to ring his neck.

"Yeah, Yeah your right," Kylie said nodding as Macie pulled out the victims liver and placed it on the table, grabbing a knife as she began to chop it up for testing, " No body, no crime. But would I have to chop his body up into tiny pieces before I put it in a vat of acid? Or could I just leave him whole?"

"Why are you asking?" Sherlock asked now fully annoyed with the delay in gathering evidence, "you know the answer perfectly well. You have a doctorate in this as you so kindly remind me."

"You have to chop him up into little tiny pieces," Macie emphasized as she chopped the liver, completely ignoring Sherlock's compliants.

"Yeah, Yeah Okay! Alright!" Charlie said, "you're right, I should have called. I'm a jerk. I'm sorry."

Macie and Kylie froze.

"Did he just apologize?" Macie asked Kylie, not knowing if she heard him correctly.

"Holy Mary. Its Jesus's 38th miracle."

'Hmm…" Macie shrugged as she pulled off her gloves and grabbed a clip bord fromm behind her.

"The victim sustained multiple stab wounds to the abdomen before he ripped her open from pubic bone to the sternum. No signs of rape, though I found lubricant and spermicide in her vaginal cavity."

"She had conseual sex right before she died," Kylie clarified.

"Her throat was slit last. Even these engravings were made while she was alive. This poor woman went through a lot."

"Then why did no one hear her?" Charlie wondered aloud.

"He drugged her," Sherlock said as he pointed to a corner of the victim's neck that had not been slit. A needle mark lay in the same corner that Irene had dosed Sherlock a couple months earlier.

"It was rumored for a little while that the Ripper dosed his victims into compliancy," he added.

"Is that?" Kylie asked looking at Sherlock.

He nodded, "It has to be coincidence."

Kylie for once agreed, Irene wouldn't help with this. No matter how low of a scum that woman was, Kylie knew she wouldn't help murder women. Irene was out for herself, but she wasn't a killer.

"That would explain why no one heard anything," Charlie muttered.

"He's right," Macie said, "the tox report came back with high levels of ketamine."

"Of course I'm right, I'm always right," Sherlock said earning a glare from Macie.

"Special K?" Lestrade asked, "It's a street drug."

"Not this kind," Macie said, "this is medical grade. Like the kind you would only find in hospitals."

"We are looking for a doctor," Kylie said as Sherlock stood up straight and grabbed Kylie by the hand, dragging her out of the morgue quickly.

"Sherlock? What the… thanks Macie!" Kylie called out as they disappeared out of the doors.

Sherlock dragged her to the elevator, pulling her in.

"Sherlock, what's going on?" Kylie asked neither of them noticing that their hands were still intertwined.

"The ketamine, it's a lead."

"To what?"

"Think Kylie," Sherlock said facing her, "These women are all prostites. They had health check ups every month for disease."

"We need to check what clinics they went to. Our killer is most likely one of the clinicians who treated them. That's how he found the victims," Kylie added making the full connction.

"Exactly," Sherlock added his eyes sparkling with intrigue as they rode the elevator.

Kylie stared back before her eyes fell on the same spot where the victim had a puncture mark in her neck. She slowly reached out and gingerly touched it. Sherlock stiffened.

"What did Irene drug you with?" Kylie asked softly.

"Kylie, we both know it wasn't her," Sherlock said not moving a muscle.

"I know," Kylie said as she unconsciously took a step closer to him so now that they were only inches apart, "but it just all fits to perfectly."

They just stared at each other for another moment.

"I am so sorry for what I did to you," Kylie said breathlessly.

She could have sworn that Sherlock began inching his lips towards hers when the elevator door opened, snapping them out of thier trance.

Kylie and Sherlock leapt apart to see none other than Director Hastings in front of them.

"Dr. Gibbs," Hastings said as he crossed his arms in front of him looking at their still intwined hands.

Kylie looked down and dropped Sherlock's hand as quickly as she could.

"uh, sir this is…" Kylie began before Sherlock put a smile on his face and presented his hand.

"Sherlock Holmes with Scotland yard."

"Nice to meet you," Hastings said gruffly before glaring at Kylie, "Gibbs, my office. NOW," he said before turning on his heel and walking into his office.

Kylie dropped her head and sighed, this was definitely the last thing that he wanted right now.

"You go find the connection," Kylie told Sherlock as they walked off the elevator, "ill be in there in a few, if I don't have my head ripped off first."

**Review? Pretty please!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I also have to apologize to you guys for the horrible typos in last chapter. I didn't have a chance to run spell check. One of my roommate's cars got broken into and the other's dad is in the hospital, so I've been a little busy. **

**I also apologize if this chapter is crap…. like I said I've been a little distracted with stuff.**

**But anyhow, thanks to everyone who reviewed! I seriously don't think you guys know how much my day is made when I see that I got a review!  
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**Thanks to littlefootthewarrior, Dianalee Holmes, ChelGallifreya221B613, kie1993, Goldbee, and superfunkygirl for their reviews! I really appreciate it!  
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**Here's the next chapter! I hope you guys enjoy!**

Kylie walked into Hastings office expecting the worst. He was standing with his back to her getting something at his desk.

"Close the door," he said gruffly.

_Shit…I really am in trouble…_

Hastings door always remained open. He was never private with his ass-chewings and the only time that he shut his door is when that person was about to a) be fired, b) have they're head ripped off and eaten like a praying mantis, c) option a and b, or d) receive some information that was top secret or that was a need to know basis.

Kylie was going to go with option C as the reason she was shutting the door at the moment.

Kylie turned to see Hastings staring at her.

"Sit," he ordered.

Kylie sat obediently and awaited for the yelling to begin.

"What in the HELL are you doing screwing Scotland Yard members in the elevator?"

"Sir, we weren't…"

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT GIBBS!"

Kylie shut her mouth immediately.

"When I see one of MY AGENTS holding hands and about to kiss an officer from another country! It begins to worry me."

"Sir you can't possibly think…"

"YOU ARE DISTRACTED!" Hastings yelled, that vein popping out of his forehead, "WE HAVE A SERIAL KILLER ON THE LOOSE AND YOU ARE TOO BUSY PLAYING GRAB ASS WITH THAT GUY!"

"Sir."

"I SAID SHUT IT GIBBS!" Hastings said as he slammed his fist down on his desk. "If you weren't such a damn good agent and a huge asset to the FBI I would fire your ass right now for making a fool out of yourself and this agency."

Kylie remained silent as Hastings sighed and sat in his chair.

"I know why you transferred here," Hastings said.

Kylie looked up at him shocked. She had never shared any of that with Hastings or anyone else…except Charlie…

"I know you left because of a relationship. Was that the same man?"

"Yes, sir," Kylie answered.

"Don't let that distract you," Hastings said, sounding like a sergeant giving orders, "You have a killer to catch. That is your one and only responsibility. I don't want to see you fraternizing or I will fire your sorry ass. Am I clear?"

Kylie was silent.

"AM I CLEAR?"

"Yes sir," Kylie said.

"Good," he said turning back away for her and opening a file, "now get out of my sight before I change my mind."

Kylie stood up and walked out of the office only to see that the entire bullpen was silent and people in their offices stared at her.

She stopped and stared back before they all began to rush back to their business. Kylie took a deep breath and walked towards the conference room to find Sherlock, John, Charlie, and Lestrade all staring at her.

"You okay?" Charlie asked.

Kylie nodded before blushing slightly, "You guys heard that?"

"I think people in China heard it," Charlie said with a knowing grin on his face.

He opened his mouth to say something before Kylie cut him off, "Say what you are going to say and I swear to God I will take Macie up on her advice."

Charlie shut his mouth immediately.

Kylie sighed and ran a hand through her hair, before looking at Sherlock. His eyes were softened as he looked at her.

"What did you find?" Kylie asked.

"There's a group of clinic doctors who travel around staying in one city for six months at a time before moving to the next. They mainly deal with the sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS," Sherlock said turning his computer and showing her.

"Doctors within city-limits," Kylie said reading the name of the group.

"It's a sort of doctors without borders thing," John added, "a volunteer program in which Doctors move and serve before leaving and settling down in their residency. They were in London and just moved here two weeks ago."

"John, even they aren't that idiotic. So please do shut up, your babble is getting annoying," Sherlock snapped.

Charlie looked at Sherlock as if he grew another head. Lestrade laughed slightly at his reaction, forgetting he had not seen Sherlock in his true form quite yet.

"Play nice with others," Kylie said lightly slapping Sherlock on the back of the head while grabbing the file next to him.

Sherlock looked at Kylie with a confused expression.

"Do we have a list of employees?" Kylie asked.

"Yeah they just picked up three new doctors and seven of them were in London also," Charlie said, "they have a clinic on Espinado Dr."

"What are we waiting for then?" Kylie asked as she strapped on her gun and made to leave and walk out the door before Sherlock stood up and stopped her from leaving.

"No," he said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her back around.

"What?" Kylie asked, her hand still in Sherlock's.

Charlie raised his eyebrows and pulled John and Lestrade with him as to hide the pair of them from Hasting's view.

Lestrade smiled slightly, Kylie had gotten herself a damn good partner.

"All of the victims are dressed like you. I'm not letting you walk in there. We'll either lose him, or you'll become the next target and I am not willing to take either one of those risks," Sherlock told her.

"It's a game Sherlock," Kylie said, "He's been stalking us for a while. If he wanted to kill me he would have done it ages ago."

"Exactly Kylie it's a game. A game that he has forced us to play. He knows us; he knows the hand that we have to play. This isn't a game. It's a trap disguised as a game. He wants you to come in, he WANTS to kill you."

"Sherlock you are overreacting. This is Thomas's deal for helping him. He dresses the victims up as me. That's all there is to it. The guy has nothing against me. He only has a thing against prostitutes."

"And models," Charlie added.

Kylie and Sherlock stared at Charlie.

"What?" Charlie shrugged, "The latest victim was a model."

"Well that changes everything," Sherlock said before dropping Kylie's hand and walking out of the room.

Kylie began to follow until Sherlock whirled round and stopped her once more.

"You need to stay here Kylie," Sherlock said looking her in the eyes before turning and walking off one more.

Kylie stopped in her tracks gaping.

Lestrade and John brushed past her and paused.

"He's right you know," John said, "He's just trying to protect you."

"I don't need protection," Kylie said angrily as she began to shove her way out of the room.

"Hey Hastings!" Charlie yelled as he put on his jacket, "Kylie just volunteered to reorganize the files on the Ripper and enter them into the database to let you know how truly sorry she is!"

Hastings nodded as Kylie glared daggers at Charlie. That would take her ages.

"Get going Gibbs! Don't go home until it's done!" Hastings told her as he walked past and handed her more files.

"Do this one while you are at it too."

Kylie glared at Charlie who gave her a small smile and a wave before walking out of the door along with an apologetic looking John and Lestrade.

Kylie gave a sigh that was a mixture of frustration and anger before she walked into her office and slammed the files down on her desk.

She was going to be here all night….

**Thoughts? Feelings?**

**Review?  
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	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! You guys have no clue how much my day is made whenever I get a review!**

**Madsie:**** Thanks so much! That really and truly means a lot! This is the first thing I've ever written and I am truly shocked that I have gotten so much positive feedback on it.**

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**MonsterPenguin: ****I'm glad you love Charlie! He's super fun to write!**

**A huge thanks also to ****Super Funky Girl, Littlefoot the Warrior, Goldbee, and Gwilwillith ****for their reviews!**

**Sorry this chapter is super short, and slightly pointless… I got my geek on in this chapter. I made a reference to a show that lets just say, really isn't the typical shows that I watch. I just started watching it …uh.. Yesterday…and yeah….**

**No offence to those of you who love that show, I literally laughed at the first episode that I watched (I'm just personally not into that stuff). I NEVER watch sci-fi stuff, because I'm like "That couldn't happen!" but even though I laugh at half the stuff…I'm oddly addicted to it. No…like seriously…I watched the pilot yesterday morning and I'm halfway through the second season….**

**Anyway, enough rambling! I hope you enjoy! **

Kylie sighed and ran a hand through her hair. It had been three hours since they had left and Kylie was up to her neck in paper work. It was ten at night and activity around the office was scarce. In fact it was essentially just her and the creepy night janitor who wears his pants backwards. She knew that Charlie had taken Lestrade, John, and Sherlock back to their hotel before heading home for the night. They didn't get any significant leads while there so they were going to pick where they left off in the morning. Kylie looked at the stacks of paperwork around her; she was going to be here all night. She needed to write a note to herself to murder Charlie in the morning.

"That looks tedious," a male voice said from the doorway.

Kylie looked up to see Sherlock standing there with a cup of coffee. She smiled slightly and rolled her eyes.

"No shit, Sherlock," Kylie said smiling at him as he approached the desk and looked around.

"Here," he said as he awkwardly held out the cup of coffee for her to take, not really looking at her.

Kylie raised her eyebrows at him and smiled slightly, why was he being so incredibly awkward. He was always so confident in whatever he did, and now he couldn't even look her in the eye.

"Thanks," Kylie said accepting the caffeine gratefully. She took a sip as she looked at him awkwardly stand in front of her, "You should get some rest you know," she told him, "Jet lag and all."

He sat at the chair across from her, "I'm fine."

"You say you are always fine Sherlock," Kylie told him.

"I am," Sherlock said as if it was the most obvious thing on the planet.

Kylie sighed, "You aren't always though."

Sherlock just looked at her.

She smiled softly at him. They were locked in a gaze once more. They just kept staring at each other until the creepy janitor dropped a trash can and began swearing loudly, bringing them out of their gaze.

Kylie cleared her throat as she picked up a file, "So what did you guys find at the clinic?"

"Seven doctors four male, three female," Sherlock said.

"Since we know that the killer is male, that takes our suspect pool down to four," Kylie added.

Sherlock nodded, "First is a about fifty, from Ireland. Definitely not the killer."

"You dismissed him that quickly?" Kylie asked twirling in her chair slightly.

"Of course I did. He had clubbing."

It clicked for Kylie, "High risk of heart disease. He wouldn't have had the strength to kill those women, plus that rush of adrenaline would have caused a heart attack."

"The second is German,"

"Not our guy. Lestrade said he was British."

"Leaving us with two suspects," Kylie said with a smile as she began typing on her computer, looking up their records and history.

Sherlock came around to look at the screen behind her, putting his hands on her desk beside her mouse.

"Dr. Karl Foreman, and Dr. Traven Hillsdale," Kylie said typing their names in on the computer.

"It would have been easier if one of them was named was Jack," Kylie muttered.

"Who were you thinking one of them would be hiding under the name Jack the Ripper or Jack Harkness?"

"WOW," Kylie said slightly stunned and looked at him, "I'm sorry did you just make a pop culture reference?"

Sherlock rolled his eyes, "it was tedious,"

"Its one of the most popular shows in Britain," Kylie said as she leaned in closely to her screen puzzled by what she was finding.

"The episode was about a woman killing men with an orgasm!" Sherlock argued incredulously, "its not like that could ever happen in real life. Killing people with a hormone and nerve explosion to the pleasure center of the brain."

Kylie chuckled as she gave him a side glance a smile on her face, "You've obviously never slept with me then."

Sherlock looked at her slightly confused before her computer beeped, snapping them out their gaze once more.

NO RESULTS flashed on the screen.

"That's impossible," Kylie said typing more and more on her computer before it beeped once more and NO RESULTS flashed on the screen once more.

"Neither of those men exists! There is no record of them anywhere!" Kylie stated, "Not in Interpol, DMV, medical licensing boards, nothing."

"Interesting," Sherlock said with a smile.

"Who the hell are these men? And how do we trace them back to the crimes?" Kylie said looking at Sherlock.

"No idea," Sherlock said softly a grin spreading over his face, "but this case just got way more interesting," Sherlock said before kissing Kylie's temple and standing up leaving Kylie alone in the office once more with the creepy janitor.

Kylie was frozen to her seat, had Sherlock Holmes really just kissed her? Granted it was on her temple, but three months ago, he wouldn't touch her let alone kiss her.

**%#$*&**

Sherlock was waltzed down the hall of the empty FBI building. This case had just gotten WAY more interesting, more interesting than he could ever imagine. He was happy, excited, he felt his adrenaline pumping through his veins. His stomach was fluttering, it had since he…

Sherlock froze. Did he kiss Kylie's temple?

His stomach flipped and that tingling feeling returned.

Oh crap…. these _feelings_ were back….

**I may get another chapter up later! If I can stop watching Torchwood…**

**I'm American, and I literally know nothing that's going on because I've never seen an episode of Doctor Who… so that's why its totally weird to me. It took me forever and hours on Wikipedia to figure out why in the hell there was a hand in a jar…**

**Anyway,**

**Review?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks so much for all of the AMAZING reviews that I have gotten! I seriously love you guys! **

**I will def have to check out Dr. Who! I have wanted to before, but there are so many seasons, I didn't know where to start. I know each Dr. is pretty much a new show, so if anyone has any suggestions I definitely will!**

**I wish I had time to thank each and every one of you right now, but I don't! But do know that I am giving each and everyone of you a hug for your review! **

**Another short and pointless chapter! It will get better soon! I promise!**

**Also, I am debating if I will keep Charlie as a permanent character. Let me know your opinion on that! It would be appreciated!**

**I hope you enjoy!**

"Good morning Sunshine…." Charlie said as he waltzed into Kylie's office carrying two cups of coffee only to find Kylie asleep on a stack of files.

Charlie smiled to himself. She really was beautiful, not that he ever really thought of her in that way. ….Yeah okay, he did. But she would most likely castrate him if he did try anything. She was his partner, his sister…. His really hot sister.

"Hey," Charlie said gently shaking Kylie to wake her.

Kylie stirred groaning just a little bit as she sat up rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Well, good morning sunshine," Charlie said giving her a charming smile and handing her a coffee as she gratefully took a sip, glaring at him all the while.

"I have no idea how you can drink that crap black," Charlie said flinching slightly as she sipped her coffee.

"My daddy raised me right," Kylie said putting the coffee down and pointing at him, "I should kick your ass for giving me this," she said motioning to the files all around her.

Charlie smiled and sat on her desk, "We all don't want to see you get hurt," he said smiling at her, "Especially Mr. tall dark and handsome."

Kylie glared before raising an eyebrow and smiling, "you think he's handsome too? Why Charlie, I didn't know you swung both ways."

Charlie froze, "I don't, you know what I meant Kylie."

"Hey, I don't have anything against it. It just surprises me that's all," Kylie said smiling at him.

Charlie looked at her, "You're never going to let this go are you?"

"Not after I had to pull an all-nighter because of you."

Charlie shrugged, "Fair enough."

He looked at his partner, she looked like crap right now, but she was beautiful. She had a glow about her, one that he had never seen before. One that she had since Sherlock Holmes walked back into her life.

"He cares about you you know," Charlie said.

Kylie's head snapped towards him.

"Sherlock," he clarified, "That's the only reason he didn't want you to go to the clinic. He's trying to protect you."

"I don't need protection Charlie, I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, you do Kylie. You can take care of yourself, but you still need someone to look out for you. You are as stubborn as a mule and you need that person in your life. Everyone does. And you are damn luck to have someone like him in your life to be there for you."

Kylie looked at him for a moment, "Charlie, I think that is literally the deepest thing you have ever said."

Charlie gave her a charming smile and a one-armed hug, "Meh, I try."

Kylie laughed as Lestrade, John, and Sherlock walked in.

"Are we interrupting something?" Lestrade asked with a smile on his face.

"Ha ha no," Kylie said and then seeing Lestrade's smile, John's and Sherlock's confused/shocked/angry looks leapt apart from Charlie, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no-no. Noo. No-no-no. no, no, no, no, no. No-No-no. NO. NO. no, no, no, no, no, no. No-no-no. No…no…."

Charlie just looked at her slightly offended, "Really? 34 no's? Really?"

Lestrade and John began to chuckle while Sherlock had a small smile playing on his face.

"uh…yeah," Kylie said looking him up and down, "34 was not _nearly_ enough," Kylie said before getting up and stretching.

"I have to go home, shower, and feed Toby. Can you tell Hastings I'll be back in an hour?" Kylie asked Charlie.

"yeah, go," Charlie said motioning towards the door as Kylie grabbed her purse.

"You shouldn't go alone," Sherlock said suddenly.

Everyone in the room gave him a sort of shocked and confused look as the room went silent.

"There is a serial killer after you and all. You shouldn't go alone," Sherlock said simply.

John, Lestrade, and Charlie's shocked looks quickly became suppressed smiles as they watched Kylie's confusion grow along with the blush that was creeping up Sherlock's neck.

"Well, why don't you go with her?" Lestrade said failing terribly at hiding his grin.

"Yeah, I mean we totally have it covered here!" Charlie said, "you go with her and we'll start…."

"Catching up to what you figured out," John said.

"Precisely," Charlie said nodding in agreement.

Kylie and Sherlock stared at the three of them awkwardly as if neither of them had a clue to what was going on.

"Yeah…." Kylie said slowly, "Well I'm leaving…so whoever would like to come, can. But I'm going now," she said before walking out of the room.

Sherlock watched her leave before turning back to the others.

"What are you waiting for?" Charlie asked smiling, "Go after her Romeo."

Sherlock gave him a strange look as he walked out of the door, "Why on earth would you reference a Shakespeare Character at a time like this? Have you even read proper literature?"

Charlie raised his eyebrows at Sherlock's retreating form before turning to John and Lestrade.

"Wow, he really doesn't get it does he?" Charlie said.

John and Lestrade shook their heads.

"You should have seen them before they dated," John commented before the three of them went to work on the case.

**Short and bad, I know! Let me know your thoughts!**

**Review?**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks so much to everyone who read and reviewed! Seriously, I have the BEST readers!**

**Thanks for also sending me messages about Dr. Who! Everyone told me to start in the same spot, so that's what I will do!**

**PeaceTia:**** Its all good! I'm just thankful for any review when I can get them! I understand! Glad you are enjoying Charlie!**

**A HUGE thanks to ****Gwilwillith, thegirlwiththebrowneyes, GoldBee, Oreal770, ChelGallifreya221B613, Kie1993, SuperFunkyGirl, jessness31, DianaleeHolmes, and Littlefoot the Warrior**** for their reviews! I love you guys…for real…**

**Also sorry it took me so long to get this up. I had writer's block today…and I was watching TV while I was writing, so that didn't help. It's extra long though!**

**Enjoy! Let me know what you think! This one starts of pretty damn cheesy…**

The ride over to Kylie's was a quiet and awkward one. Sherlock focused his attention out of the window while Kylie was driving and kept glancing at him.

"Anything you want to say?" Sherlock said slightly annoyed looking at her.

Kylie blushed and turned back to the road immediately, "uh, nothing."

Sherlock just kept looking at her as if he knew that there was something.

Kylie glanced back at him, feeling his eyes on her. He just gave her a blank stare before raising his eyebrows at her expectantly.

Kylie scoffed, "Fine," she said running a hand through her hair. Its just a little odd that you actually wanted to come with me."

Sherlock turned and looked out the window once more, "You have a killer after you."

"Wouldn't be the first time," Kylie muttered as she put the car in park in her drive way.

Sherlock shrugged slightly before he got out of the car and looked around. The salt air hit his nostrils as he looked around at the small beach house before him. Kylie wasn't lying when she said she lived on the beach. The back of her home was backed up onto the beach.

"You coming?" Kylie asked with her key in the door as she looked back at him, her eyebrows raised.

"Yes," Sherlock said as he walked towards the door.

As soon as Kylie turned the lock a massive German Shepard leapt out wagging his tail wildly. He barked happily as if he thought he would never see Kylie ever again.

"Hey Toby!" Kylie cooed at the dog happily, bending down to pet him as he wiggled wildly.

Sherlock took a step back, not having really expected her to own a dog. Sure he had noticed the fur on her clothing, but he just thought it was from Charlie's car; the car was covered in it.

"Sherlock, this is Toby," Kylie said as if to introduce the two of them.

Sherlock looked at her, "It's a dog Kylie. It can't understand you."

Kylie raised an eyebrow at him, "Toby, can you understand me?"

Toby barked and sat wagging his tail before walking over to Sherlock, who took a step back and looked at Toby skeptically.

"He's brilliant," Kylie said smiling before she raised an eyebrow at him once more after seeing his reactions, "you don't like dogs do you?"

"They are unpredictable," Sherlock said, "you don't know when they are going to attack."

Kylie chuckled at him, "yeah Toby is so ferocious," She noted to him as she looked at Toby flop down and groan as he presented his belly for Sherlock to rub.

Sherlock just looked at the dog for a moment before looking back up a smiling Kylie who sauntered over to him, "this is because of the hound thing in Baskerville isn't it?"

Sherlock just looked at her skeptically.

Kylie smiled, "I promise that Toby is not a Hound from hell."

Sherlock looked down and slowly began to rub Toby's stomach. The dog groaned happily as it wagged its tail even more.

Kylie smiled as she stood up, "He likes you."

Sherlock looked up at her. She was watching the pair of them with a smile on her face. She looked happy, at peace. The sunshine suited her, her bronzed skin made her blue eyes pop even more. She truly was beautiful, even more so when she had a smile on her face.

"What?" Kylie asked grinning at him.

"You may want to get ready," Sherlock said standing up facing her.

Kylie looked at him for a moment before she snapped out of it once more and broke the gaze.

"Right," She said walking into the entrance of her home, "Come on Toby," she said calling to the dog as Toby got up and rushed in before she turned back and looked at Sherlock, "Come on in," she said with a smile.

Sherlock followed her in the house as she went into her room to shower. Though she had gotten new furniture, her place looked exactly the same as it did in Baker Street. Same photographs, arranged in the same way, people she cared about. Her father, a picture of her mother and sister, Tony, Ziva, Mcgee…if that's what their names were. There was even a picture of John and Mary.

Then Sherlock saw it. A framed picture in the back. ….was that?

He reached for it and carefully pulled it out from behind the others. It was a picture of him and Kylie sitting on the couch laughing. He remembered it; it was taken at the Christmas party last year, though he didn't know that someone had taken it. It was most likely John…it always bloody was John.

Why did she have it though? This shelf was of people she cared about. It didn't make sense, why would she have a picture of them?

He never understood pictures anyway. You had memories, why would you need pictures to remind you of something that you already have in your head?

He felt something nudge his knee softly as Sherlock looked down to see Toby sitting there with a ball in his mouth, wagging his tail wildly. Toby dropped the ball and cocked his head to the side. Sherlock rolled his eyes before kicking the ball across the room gently. Toby got up and chased after it noisily down the hallway as Sherlock sat on the couch and looked at the photograph. He hardly recognized himself in the photo. Sure it was his face, but it was different. It showed emotion. He didn't do emotion, he never had.

So why on earth did he have this expression on his face? He looked….he didn't even know how to put it.

The ball was dropped in his lap once more as Toby laid his head on Sherlock's knee, whining slightly as he begged Sherlock to throw the ball once more.

Sherlock looked at Toby looking up at him with enormous brown eyes. He laughed and ran a hand over Toby's coat. He really was a smart creature. Toby nudged the ball in his lap and whined once more. Sherlock chuckled lightly; the dog was about as stubborn as Kylie was as he chucked the ball down the hall once more.

"He grows on you," Kylie stated as she leaned up against the doorframe with her hair damp, standing there in nothing but a bathrobe.

Sherlock looked up at her and froze as he watched her towel dry her hair. Those butterflies in his stomach returned once more, as he couldn't tear his eyes off of her. He couldn't explain it, not one bit. He felt the endorphins flowing through his body as his blood flow began to be… compromised as his heart fluttered and his pants tightened.

Oh God, not this again…. Why had he lost control of his body?

"You okay?" Kylie asked removing him from his thoughts.

"Yes," Sherlock said shifting himself to a more comfortable position as he placed his coat in his lap.

"You sure?" Kylie asked with a concerned look on her face, "You've been kind of acting weird."

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm always fine," Sherlock said quickly.

Kylie looked at him skeptically, "Okay," she said before walking into the kitchen and picking up Toby's bowl and began spooning dog food into it. Toby dropped his ball immediately and began wagging his tail wildly as he knew his breakfast was coming.

Sherlock glanced back at the photograph that he had beside him. Why was he acting like this? Why did this happen before? Kylie was the only one who had ever… controlled him this way…made him feel like this. Irene Adler hadn't even been able to arouse him as Kylie has, and The Woman did it for a living. But this average woman, this average brilliant woman tipped his whole world upside down. Made him feel, and he hated it.

This wasn't him. He was objective, able to contain his emotions. Four days ago, that was he, but once he had gotten to the states the butterflies had returned, coming full force when he accidently kissed Kylie on the temple.

She still used the same shampoo; lavender and vanilla. He had missed that smell, the softness of her hair.

"So what do we do next?" Kylie asked from the kitchen pulling him out of his thoughts, "I mean with the case. We have two suspects and almost zero evidence."

The case…he just needed to focus on the case and all of this would go away.

"I mean we have the ketamine, but..." Kylie froze and then turned around quickly looking at him, "the ketamine…"

Sherlock looked at her strangely.

"Ketamine is a pain management drug," Kylie said as she walked towards him stopping in front of the couch, "Doctors within city limits mainly treats sexually transmitted diseases."

"So why would they need ketamine?" Sherlock asked it all clicking into place.

"Exactly!" Kylie said sitting down next to him, "Hospital grade Ketamine is a step up from Morphine. The diseases they treat don't deal with pain. Late stage AIDS has pain, but other than that, they swab, give antibiotics, hand out condoms, and report disease to the government. It doesn't fit."

"Its an anomaly," Sherlock said going into his thinking stance as Kylie sat on the couch next to him.

"Exactly," Kylie said underneath her breath, "So if it was one of those two doctors, how on earth did they have access to hospital grade Ketamine?"

"The two doctors, what were their specialties?" Sherlock asked quickly before Kylie got up and grabbed the file out of her purse.

"Uh, trauma and OBGYN," Kylie said looking at him.

"Which one is trauma?" Sherlock asked.

"Karl Foreman," Kylie said looking at him, "He does trauma work at St. Joseph's on the weekends."

"Its perfect," Sherlock said before jumping up and giving her a worried expression, "its too perfect."

"Sherlock we just solved it!" Kylie said smiling.

"If Thomas was behind this, it wouldn't be this easy. Think about it Kylie," Sherlock said stepping closer to her, "Thomas is a criminal mastermind networking himself in prison and through the criminal world. Why would he allow…why would he instruct a mess up as big as this?"

"The Ripper's an idiot?" Kylie suggested hopefully.

Sherlock just looked at her.

"Yeah you're right," Kylie said, "But what in the HELL is the Ketamine?"

Sherlock shook his head lightly before looking Kylie in the eye, "We follow the lead and from that maybe we can find some more."

Kylie nodded as she looked at them, God they were close. She could smell him, that clean soap smell. Her eyes flicked down to his lips.

BARK

Toby began barking in slight annoyance that he hadn't been fed yet. Kylie sighed in frustration before turning and walking towards the kitchen, placing Toby's bowl on the floor.

This tension was killing her. She knew that Sherlock didn't feel the same, but she couldn't help but think that maybe, just MAYBE he felt it too.

_Kylie snap out of it, you don't need to go down this road again._

Just as Kylie picked up Toby's water bowl and began to wash it when she heard her front door open and heavy footsteps walk in.

"Kylie, where's Kylie?" she heard Charlie ask breathlessly.

"What in the hell is going on?" Kylie asked coming out from around the corner to see a very confused Sherlock along with a breathless, Charlie, John, and Lestrade. Upon her entrance, Charlie stood up straighter and began to look her up and down appreciatively.

"Is that what you always wear around the house?" Charlie asked with a smile, "Are you even wearing anything underneath that?"

Kylie walked towards him and slapped the back of his head.

"Grow up," Kylie snapped.

"Oh aggressive," Charlie said before Kylie smacked him again.

"What happened?" She asked John and Lestrade.

"There's another scene," Lestrade told her, "And you are going to want to see this."

**^#%$*&**

The group approached the crime scene to find Detective Hernandez standing outside the building.

"Wow, shocker you guys showed up," Hernandez said sarcastically as they walked towards him.

"Who the hell are the three amigos you brought with your pet clown Doc?' he asked with a smile on his face.

"Detective Hernandez, this is Detective Inspector Lestrade of Scotland yard and this is Doctor John Watson, and Sherlock Holmes," Kylie said.

"Pleasure," Hernandez said, "What in the hell are they doing on my crime scene. You shouldn't even be here. Its conflict of interest!"

"What are you talking about?" Kylie asked.

"You need to go in there," Hernandez said pointing towards the entrance of the apartment.

Kylie looked at the rest of the group as she began to walk into the apartment, Sherlock at her side.

As soon as they walked in, the smell of blood hit filled the air.

Kylie froze as soon as she walked into the living room.

"Where's the body?" John asked as he looked around the room wildly.

"There's no body," Hernandez said, "Just that."

John's sight traveled up to the wall. There, written in blood, was a message smeared on the wall.

_Eight little whores, with no hope of heaven,__  
__The Good Doctor may save one, then there'll be seven.__  
__Seven little whores beggin for a shilling,__  
__One stays in Henage Court, then there's a killing.__  
__Six little whores, glad to be alive,__  
__One sidles up to Jack, then there are five.__  
__Four and whore rhyme aright,__  
__So do three and me,__  
__I'll set the town alight__  
__Ere there are two.__  
__Two little whores, shivering with fright,__  
__Seek a cosy doorway in the middle of the night.__  
__Jack's knife flashes, then there's but one,__  
__And the last one's the ripest for Jack's idea of fun__._

_I'll be waiting for you Dr. Gibbs. No one can keep you safe. _

_How bout a little REDRUM?_

"Bloody hell," John muttered underneath his breath.

Kylie was staring petrified at the poem on the wall when Sherlock turned to her.

"Still don't think that you are a target?"

**The first part of that poem was supposedly sent to the police by the Ripper (even though they are pretty sure it was a hoax) I changed it slightly and added the end part, but that's where I got it from.**

**Review? Let me know what you think!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! Over a hundred reviews in 9 chapters is literally AMAZING! You have no idea how happy I get when I get feedback!**

**I'm sorry I don't have the time to thank you all individually! It was either post the chapter now with out it or wait five more hours…so sorry! I love you all for reviewing!**

**I'm sorry its short! I'll try to get another/longer one up later tonight…but it wont be till much later.**

**I hope you enjoy!**

"Why am I a target?" Kylie muttered under her breath as the group sat around the conference room table in the Hoover building.

"What in the hell is that poem?" Charlie asked aloud as they had a picture of the poem up on the TV screen.

"It was supposedly sent to the Yard by the Ripper, but this one was most likely a hoax," Sherlock said, his attention not really on the topic at hand.

"So that's what now, three messages left?" John asked.

"And all three were supposedly sent by the Ripper to Scotland Yard," Charlie added.

"At least he didn't send us and ear or a kidney this time," Lestrade joked morbidly.

John looked at Sherlock, it was odd he wasn't ranting about some theory that was most likely right, and when he saw him, he knew why.

Sherlock was staring at a still shocked Kylie. He looked worried, well as worried as Sherlock Holmes could possibly look. John swore he saw Sherlock move his hand slightly as if to cover Kylie's reassuringly, but decided against it.

As frustrating as it was to watch his two friends be in denial about their feelings and each other, at least this was progress. Maybe coming to America on this case was a miracle? …. not that murder was ever a miracle.

Things were changing between the two of them, which was good…VERY good. Things had changed in John's life and once it was announced, it would affect Sherlock's too. He just hoped he'd have Kylie back in his life by the time they got around to telling everyone.

"So we've narrowed it down to two suspects based on the fact that ketamine was used…" Charlie began before Hastings burst into the room, slightly red in the face.

"The killer left a note in blood, with one of my AGENTS names on it, and I have to find out from the police?" Hastings bellowed before getting in Charlie's face as he held his ground, "Edwards, you know better. You KNOW to let me know what you find as soon as you find it! YOU HEAR ME!"

"Sir we…"

"SHUT IT!" Hastings yelled before turning on Kylie, "What in the hell connection do you have to this case Gibbs?"

Kylie looked at him, her shock still written all over her face, "I have no idea Sir."

"BULLSHIT! Your name was written in blood on the wall Gibbs! You are connected somehow! Now tell me, or I will fire your ass on the spot!"

"Sir, she doesn't know!" Charlie exclaimed trying to revert his attention back onto him.

"SHUT IT EDWARDS! Or I will fire your ass too!"

"I don't know! I don't know why this is personal!" Kylie said breaking slightly.

"YOU KNOW GIBBS…" Hastings yelled as he began to get in Kylie's face slightly as she sat there taking it.

"ENOUGH!" Sherlock yelled as he stood up giving Hastings an icy glare.

The entire FBI had stopped working and was staring at Sherlock. Even John, Lestrade, Kylie, and Charlie were shocked at his outburst.

Hastings began to laugh slightly, "I'm sorry? Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?"

"Yelling at her is not beneficial. Do you really think that she knows how they are connected and why this killer is after her?" Sherlock looked him up and down, smiling to himself, "no, you are far too stupid to figure that out. Let me guess army Lieutenant? Served in the military all of your life. Never wanted to be anything else as a child, just a military man, just like your father."

Hastings face fell. John groaned, this so was not going to end well.

"Your father was a high ranking official, much higher then lieutenant. That's why you were always desperate to climb the ranks even though you were less than decent at your job."

"How dare…" Hastings began before Sherlock cut him off as he continued his rant.

"That's why you came to the FBI. You have no skill, or even know how to complete a proper investigation. That's why you got shoved into administration. You aren't even competent enough to solve who took the last biscuit on the plate. You yell at your agents, because you know that they are better than you, brighter than you. You think that by yelling you can establish authority by acting like a caveman. Which is why your wife is most likely leaving you. Well that and the fact that you are having an affair with a man."

"ENOUGH!" Hastings yelled as Charlie smirked and whispers began to flood the floor.

Sherlock smirked at him as Hastings huffed, his face red with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. His body was shaking; Hastings didn't have a clue what to do or how to react. He just looked at Kylie, his eyes wild with rage and embarrassment.

"You're off the case," he said before walking out of the building.

Kylie sat there gaping as Hastings essentially ran back to his office, slamming the door closed behind him.

Kylie looked at Sherlock and began laughing in disbelief at what he had just done. Sherlock looked at her with a smile on his face as he began chuckling too.

"That was…amazing!" Charlie whispered in disbelief as he gaped at Sherlock.

"Don't encourage him," John said rolling his eyes, "Do you have to piss off everyone we run into?" John asked Sherlock as he sat back down in his chair.

"I made an observation," Sherlock said simply as he returned to his seat also and began looking through a file.

"No, you found an excuse to show off."

"He deserved it."

"Yeah he did, but still isn't a reason to do it."

"It just annoys you."

"Yes, yes it does." John said angrily.

"Alright girls!" Charlie condoned smiling slightly, "So what do we need to do?"

"Track down Karl Foreman," Kylie said standing up and gathering her things, "I need to see him and figure out why on earth this guy is connected to me and why he wants me dead."

"You're off the case," Charlie said looking at her like she was drugged.

Kylie smiled at him, "No, I'm not."

"Hastings said you were!" Charlie exclaimed, "That was an order."

"And now I can blackmail my way back on," Kylie said with a smile, "The Ripper is on the loose and I want to catch this son of a bitch before he kills again. And I'll be damned if I let that bastard keep me off this case."

And with that Kylie turned on her heel and walked out of the office. Sherlock smiled before following her out the door.

"That's my girl," Lestrade said before the rest of them followed to find who they think may indeed be the man who did those terrible things.

**Short and lame…I know…**

**Review?**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks to ****Littlefootthewarrior, Peace Tia, ChelGallifreya221B613, Dianalee Holmes, and Gwillith **** for their reviews! I seriously love you guys!**

**A thanks to everyone who reviewed the Chapter before too! Sorry I didn't get a mention in for you guys!**

**This is a LONG chapter! Its 8 pages in a word doc! It was going to be longer, but I didn't want it to be like 14 pages! I borrowed an idea from Castle (Sorry). It starts off lame, but I think you guys will be stoked by the end….. Just maybe… remember…I do like plot twists….**

"Kylie!" Charlie yelled as he chased after Kylie and Sherlock who were power-walking side by side towards the SUV, "Do you even have a plan? Do you even know where to find him?"

"We go to the hospital. Its Saturday, he should be working trauma. We find him and follow him," Kylie said as she waited impatiently by the door of the car for Charlie to unlock it.

"Okay, but you are still staying in the car," Charlie said unlocking it.

"Uh, no. I'm not," Kylie said as they all climbed in.

"Yes you are," Lestrade, Charlie, Sherlock, and John all said in unison.

Kylie gaped at them, "Since when did you all team up against me?"

"Uh, well first of all we did not team up against you," John said from the back seat, "And second of all you are not going in to find the same guy who wrote your name in blood on a wall."

"Agreed," Charlie said as they drove towards the hospital.

"So I get benched?" Kylie asked in exasperation, "I can take care of myself you know."

"Yes, but lets play it safe when there's a psycho killer on the loose and he's targeting you," Lestrade said as they neared the hospital.

"I'll be fine!" Kylie said when as Charlie parked the car.

"Yeah, you will," Charlie said as he nodded at Lestrade before he, John, and Sherlock leapt out of the car as Charlie locked the door behind him.

Kylie rolled her eyes and tried to unlock the door, only to find that Charlie had gotten his car fixed to hold criminals. The door would not unlock, and she couldn't get out.

"You have GOT to be kidding me," Kylie said as she struggled with the door.

"Its for your own good you know," Lestrade said from the back.

Kylie whipped around and gave Lestrade a look that made him shrink.

"Greg," Kylie said in a serious voice, "You are going to let me out of here and we are going to catch that son of a bitch."

"Yeah," Lestrade said standing his ground with some hesitancy, "well, we will catch this bastard, but you sure as hell aren't getting out of here."

Kylie groaned like a child and threw herself back against the seat.

Lestrade laughed to himself, Sherlock's child-like behavior had rubbed off her during their time together.

"He's happier you know," Lestrade said as he read his paper.

Kylie spun around, she had been in her own thoughts, "What?"

"Sherlock," he said looking at her, "he's been much happier since he's been here. You should have seen him after you left. I think even John was about to hit him."

Kylie groaned, "Why does everyone want to talk about me and Sherlock?" she muttered.

"Because as much as the two of you deny it, you two are bloody perfect for each other," Lestrade said.

Kylie rolled her eyes, "Greg, as sweet as it is, Sherlock and I are through. We tried it and it didn't work out. Its over and it wont happen again."

Lestrade raised his eyebrows at her as he watched her squirm slightly, "Yeah, because you are really confident with that answer." He said sarcastically.

Kylie glared at him, "Its not," she said firmly.

"All that I know is that it's nice to have old Sherlock back. We were getting really sick of mopy, sad Sherlock," Lestrade said as he turned back to his paper, "Though it was nice not having him talk," he muttered to himself.

Kylie looked at him. Was he right? Did Sherlock actually miss her? He didn't need her, he had John, he had his cases. Was there really room in his life for her? Did he want her back in his life?

The car door opening brought her out of her thoughts once more as John, Charlie, and Sherlock clambered in.

"What'd you find?" Kylie asked.

"Well, we couldn't find him and we had to bribe one of the nursing staff, but all in all, we found him," John informed her.

"Well, where is he?" Kylie asked.

"Do you remember that illegal gambling ring that Hastings put us on right after you got here?" Charlie asked with a smile as they began driving back to the Hoover building.

"Yeah and we bitched about it the whole time because we're homicide and not VICE."

"Well, according to the nurse, Karl Foreman has a thing for big Russians and illegal gambling," Charlie said with a smile.

"You're thinking undercover," Kylie said with a smile.

"Of course I am," Charlie said grinning at her.

**#%$*&**

"Kylie, why do you always have this damn duffle bag in the van?" Charlie asked as his foot ran into the bag for the tenth time that night.

They were all crammed into the back of the surveillance van as they watched the screen. They had been able to hack into one of the surveillance cameras from the store across the alleyway to watch the entrance.

"It's just incase," Kylie said as she squinted at the screen.

"Just incase?" Charlie asked as he bent down to look inside.

Kylie smacked him and yanked him up by his shirt collar, "leave it."

Charlie glared at her, while rubbing his neck.

"So what's the plan?" Lestrade asked, "because this place looks as about a heavily guarded as Buckingham palace.

"Yeah," Charlie sighed, "This game is run by the Russian Mob known as the triad. We've been trying to shut them down for years, but they keep coming back like cockroaches."

"Why is a Russian card game in China town?" John asked.

"The triad has a strong link to the Chinese mafia, they do business together a lot," Kylie told him as they watched a couple enter the back door of the Chinese restaurant guarded by a heavily armed, and very large Russian man.

"Well, shall I go in?" Charlie said as he took off his shirt and began to set up the wire.

Kylie gave him a strange look, "how on earth do you plan on getting in there?"

"Regan in VICE owes me a favor, he got me on the list under an alias," Charlie told her with a smile.

"And when were you going to share this?" Kylie asked crossing her arms as she watched him fumble with the wire.

"When I knew for sure you wouldn't be coming with me," he said as Kylie snatched it from him and began to tape the wire on his chest.

John felt Sherlock sit straighter and glare at the two of them. John tried not to smirk at his friend's jealously.

"There," Kylie said as she finished taping it down, "put your shirt back on, I need to put the camera on."

"You were enjoying the view," Charlie smirked before Kylie whacked him in the chest.

"Okay, Okay!" Charlie said as he began to button up his shirt as Kylie grabbed in and put the button camera in place.

She the turned and pressed a few buttons on the laptop and the screen.

"Alright we are up and running. We can hear you, but you won't be wearing an earpiece. From what I hear, these guys have a knack for finding them. Just get in there, talk to him, and get out. Its dangerous in there," Kylie told him.

"Don't worry Ky!" Charlie said with a smile on his face, "I'll be fine! I always am!"

"Yeah," Kylie said skeptically as he jumped out of the van.

"I'll see you guys when I get back!" he said as he closed the door to the van.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" John asked quietly as they watched the feed of Charlie walking down the street.

"I don't know," Kylie muttered, "but I have the same feeling."

They watched as Charlie began to walk down the alleyway and showed up on the other camera. That bad feeling began to grow rapidly in Kylie's stomach as he walked closer and closer to the guarded entrance.

"Hey! How you guys doing?" Charlie asked the man at the door with what Kylie guessed was a smile. The man just stared back before yanking Charlie's arms out and away from his body and began patting him down, pulling out his gun and taking it from him.

"No guns," the man said gruffly in a heavy Russian accent.

"Sorry, forgot about that one," Charlie told him.

"Name?" the doorman asked.

"Richard Hunter," Charlie said and Kylie snorted loudly causing Sherlock, John, and Lestrade to look at her.

"Regan in VICE and Charlie got into it a few months back because Charlie 'accidentally' slept with his 22 year old niece who came to stay with him for a week. Charlie thinks that they made up, but I knew Regan was just waiting to get him back," Kylie sniggered.

They all looked at her confused.

"Richard Hunter?" Kylie said looking at them still receiving a blank stare, "A short name for Richard is Dick. Poor bastard doesn't even realize Regan gave him the alias of Dick Hunter."

Lestrade and John chuckled as Sherlock rolled his eyes at Kylie, "Grow up."

"What?" Kylie asked, "Charlie's undercover with a porn name. Its pretty damn amusing if I do say so myself."

They turned their attention back to the screen to find Charlie wandering around the main room. The room had about ten tables and were covered in men from Russia and China along with prostitutes and drugs. The room was like the poster child for the seven deadly sins.

Charlie got a drink at the bar before looking around some more, finally finding Karl Foreman sitting at a table filled with large and burly looking Russians.

They watched with baited breath as Charlie plopped down in the seat next to their suspect and began receiving glares immediately from everyone at the table.

"How you all doing?" Charlie said charmingly.

"This is no limit table," one of the Russians said gruffly.

"Good," Charlie said, "Perfect, I'm a no limit kind of guy."

Charlie plopped a large stack of bills on the table and told the dealer, "Change for ten thousand please."

Lestrade and John gaped while Kylie rolled her eyes and Sherlock stared blankly at the screen.

"Ten thousand?" Lestrade said in disbelief.

"Stupid bastard," Kylie muttered, "Charlie is a trust-fund baby. His grandfather invented post-it notes and he's pretty much loaded beyond belief."

The dealer handed him a stack of chips and cards as they began to play.

Charlie turned to Karl Foreman, "You from around here?" he asked.

Karl gave him a weird look, "Just play cards and mind your own business mate."

"Right," Charlie said as he looked down at his cards and began to play.

The rest of the table began to look at him again and speak Russian to one another, Karl Foreman joining in with them in fairly good Russian.

"Foreman speaks fluent Russian?" John asked.

"Yeah they're going to take him for everything he's got," Kylie said, earning her a shocked look from everyone inside the van.

"You speak Russian?" Sherlock asked, even he was shocked.

"Yeah," Kylie muttered, "My Dad learned it when he had a mission in Russia for two years. So when he was learning it, I learned it also."

"How did I not know that?' Sherlock muttered looking at Kylie as if he had just met her for the first time.

"There's a lot about me you don't know," Kylie said grinning at him.

"There's a bunch of hookers here," Charlie said as they played, "I hear there is a serial killer going after whores nowadays."

They could literally see Karl Foreman stiffen beside him while all of the other Russians at the table glowered at Charlie.

"What do you mean mate?" Foreman asked angrily.

"There's a copy-cat out there. A Jack the Ripper Copy-cat, and he's targeting prostitutes. These girls may want to look out. I mean, there could be a monster among us."

"What is he doing?" Lestrade asked, panic in his voice.

"Playing poker," Sherlock said.

"He's trying to get a rouse out of them, but that's stupid Charlie, that's very VERY stupid," Kylie said nervously.

"How does he do it?" Karl asked, "this 'copy-cat'?"

"He is intelligent, most likely a Doctor. Drugs the victims with hospital grade ketamine before he slits their throats and guts them like fish," Charlie said while staring down Karl Foreman.

The Russians began speaking once more.

"Crap," Kylie breathed before grabbing the duffle bag on the floor.

"What are they saying?" John asked.

"That he knows too much, they are going to kill him," Kylie said as she leapt out of the van, leaving the driver side door open that was parked next to the alley wall.

"Its heavily guarded!" Lestrade said as Kylie hid behind the door and opened the bag, "What are you going to do?"

"Go in there and get him," Kylie said as she began moving around, still obstructed from the men's view.

"How?" John asked, "you can't go in there guns a blazing, they'll kill us!"

"Yeah," Kylie said as she zipped up the bag once more, "But I have something that you three don't."

Kylie shut the door so she was in the men's view once more, "breasts."

The three men gaped slightly at the sight of her. She had removed her jeans and shoes and was just wearing the long sweater she had on in the van with a belt wrapped around her waist as if to hold it together loosely like a dress. The top however was loosely bound and the neckline plunged all the way down to the base of her black lace bra. Her boots had been removed and replaced with a pair of black pumps making her already defined legs, even longer.

Kylie removed her hair from the ponytail it was in and tossed it around a little, not noticing the stares she was getting from the three men in the van.

"Can you hand me my purse?" She asked as she messed about with her hair slightly.

"Uh, yeah," John said snapping out of it slightly and handing her her bag.

Kylie pulled out a tube of lipstick and began applying it.

"What are you going to do? Lipstick them to death?" Lestrade inquired.

"I was thinking of going in with Jonathan Wiley after pulling an Irene Adler?" Kylie said looking at Sherlock.

The corner of Sherlock's mouth turned into a grin as he pulled off his jacket and jumped out of the van next to Kylie.

"Do what?" Lestrade asked as Kylie chucked the lipstick and purse at him.

"Lestrade, right now my partner is in there about to get his brains blown out and my last hope is to essentially whore myself in there with Sherlock so shut up and let us get our disguises on," Kylie snapped before pulling a slightly unsuspecting Sherlock in for kiss.

Both Lestrade and John's eyebrows shot into their hairlines as Kylie pulled back quickly to a still shocked Sherlock. She stared at him for a moment before she cleared her throat and began to smear the lipstick strategically all over his face before she kissed his neck and purposefully got lipstick on his shirt collar.

John could have SWORN that Sherlock's eyes had shut a little too long when he blinked while Kylie's lips had been on his neck. He cleared his throat loudly as she began unbuttoning and rebuttoning his shirt quickly, mismatching the buttons purposefully. Kylie looked at him before her hands went to his hair, messing it up to look at if her hands had made a home there.

"There," Kylie said to him before turning back to Lestrade and John, "If we aren't back in fifteen, call it in."

Kylie then shut the door, leaving Lestrade and John alone in the van.

They just stared at the door for a moment, in slight shock of what they just saw.

"I guess Irene Adler was right after all," John said turning to Lestrade, "A disguise shows much more of yourself then you are aware."

…**. :D….**

**Review?**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed!**

**DianaLee Holmes:**** Sorry it was confusing. I did jump from one scene to the next a little too much without as much explanation as I usually do. Sorry…my lack of patience is catching up with me.**

**SheepEnchanter1:**** Thanks so much! That really does mean a lot! And yes, this show is Extremely addicting!**

**A huge thanks to Oreal770, SakuraMochie, Goldbee, Gwilwillith, CrimsonTigerLily, SuperfunkyGirl, and ChelGallifreya221B 613 for their reviews also! I seriously love you guys! I would probably cry and stop writing if I stopped getting reviews and so your reviews mean a lot!**

**Here's the next chapter! Its kind of a little…. different…. so sorry. I wrote it in a hurry and my brain is checked out so if I read it later and think its crap, I'll rewrite it.**

**Its short. I may get another up later!**

**Enjoy! :D**

Kylie and Sherlock walked down the street and as they reached the corner, Sherlock threw his arm around Kylie's waist and pulled her close as they began to stumble drunkenly down the street towards together towards the entrance to the game.

Kylie saw the guards watching them when she felt Sherlock lean in towards Kylie and whisper in her ear, "Play along."

Next thing Kylie knew, she was being shoved up against the alley wall as Sherlock kissed her fiercely. She felt electricity shoot through her body as Sherlock moved his lips with hers. Goosebumps covered her skin as she raised one leg for him to hold, balancing her against the wall as his body was pressed against hers. Her hands tangled in his hair as he moved down her neck, nipping and sucking till he found that tender spot that made her moan. Kylie ran a hand up his chest and began unbuttoning his shirt once more. She felt Sherlock shiver as her hands explored the newly exposed skin and her teeth grazed his collarbone, making him groan.

"Hey! Get room, you two!" they heard one of the Russian guards say.

Kylie felt Sherlock stiffen as she froze. Who the hell…? Oh, they were working. Had she really gotten so lost in that, that she had forgotten that Charlie was about to get his head blown off? Kylie glanced at him. His pupils were the size of saucers as his dark curls were unruly as ever from Kylie running her hands through them so many times. God, he was sexy.

"Hey, come on man," Sherlock said in his smooth, but drunken Jonathan Wiley voice.

…Oh right, this was acting. It was all acting.

_He doesn't feel anything for you Kylie, get over it…FOCUS! Charlie needs you guys!_

"We are just looking to have good time," Kylie said turning around and facing him, her voice lower and flirtatious. Just some sex and a card game. We know a guy who is inside."

The Russian guard rolled his eyes and walked back over to his post, while Kylie and Sherlock followed. Once the guard reached his post, Sherlock threw his arm around Kylie's waist once more.

"We just want to play cards man," Sherlock said hopefully.

The guard just looked at them blankly as he stood straighter and blocked his way.

"Look," Kylie said peeling herself away from Sherlock, "Our friend is in there. He's a very good friend of my boyfriend here and I am both of their…lucky charms. We _always_ win when I am on their arm. Perhaps, after we win, I come out here and share some of my …luck with you," Kylie told the bouncer as she batted her eyelashes at him softly.

The Russian grinned and leaned in closer to her. As he did, Kylie quickly reacted by planting the stiletto of her pump into the man's arch, distracting him before head-butting him, knocking him out immediately.

"Well played," Sherlock said behind her.

"Thank you," Kylie said as they began to drag him behind the dumpster. Once the unconscious man had been well hidden, Kylie took his gun and handed it to Sherlock, who was straightening him self up.

He shoved the gun down the back of his pants as Kylie looked at him.

"You got some lipstick," Kylie said as she hesitantly reached out to rub it off of the corner of his mouth. She did so awkwardly as she stared at him. Kylie could feel the heat rise to her cheeks as Sherlock's eyes met hers.

What did that kiss mean? Did it mean anything? It had felt so real; she thought she had felt the emotion behind it, the passion, the want, and the need…

Charlie…. she needed to help Charlie.

"Right, come on," Kylie said grabbing his hand and yanking him into the game with her.

They looked around the building, scanning everywhere for Charlie, praying that he was okay.

Kylie froze, causing Sherlock to run into her gently as he was not expecting her to be stopping so quickly.

"Sherlock," Kylie whispered, panic in her voice, "he's gone. So is Foreman."

Sherlock looked around, there were indeed two empty chairs at the Russian table, but he noticed that the kitchen door was swinging still ever so slightly.

"Come on," Sherlock told her as he pulled her with him towards the kitchen.

They walked in quietly and down the hall there was Charlie, backed up against the stove, Foreman holding a gun on him.

"You endangering my girls?" Foreman yelled at him, "What do you know?"

"Put down the gun man!" Charlie told him, "Just put it down and we can talk. I don't know anything. I just know what he does."

Sherlock pulled her down next to a pile of boxes, hiding them from Foreman's line of sight.

"Those dirty whores don't deserve what they have, but as you can see, its bad for business," Foreman whispered to Charlie as he shoved his gun into his chest.

Kylie gave Sherlock a look before she stood up and walked towards the two of them seductively.

"There you are Richard!" Kylie said in a voice that was surprisingly similar to Irene Adler's purr, "I have been looking all over for…oh hello," Kylie said as she waltzed over to them, stopping as she laid a hand on Charlie's shoulder and looked Foreman up and down.

"Richard," Kylie said not taking her eyes off of Foreman, "Are you bothering this handsome man?"

"Don't shoot me," Charlie told Foreman out of fear and confusion of what his partner was doing.

"You are no where near a man!" Kylie told Charlie as she pulled away from him. She then turned to Foreman, "He's a little girl, scared like a child. Won't even protect his own girlfriend. His girlfriend has to protect him half the time."

"YOU have to protect me?" Charlie said as he played along, immediately focusing on what Kylie had said, rather than the gun pointed at him.

"Yeah, I always have to protect you," Kylie snapped back before turning to Foreman a flirty smile on her face, "You would protect me with your big gun, wouldn't you?"

"You are such a slut!" Charlie said causing Kylie to spin around and face him angrily, "you always flirt with other guys right in front of me!"

"Well maybe if I was satisfied, I wouldn't have to," Kylie snapped.

Foreman was now the one who was confused as he watched the bickering couple.

"HEY!" he yelled, not knowing what else to do as he pointed his gun back and forth between the two of them, "Shut up!"

"I like a man who takes charge," Kylie said advancing on him once more.

"This doesn't concern you," Foreman spat as he pointed his gun at Charlie.

"Oh yeah, Well actually…" Kylie said before quickly grabbing the gun, wrenching Forman's arm away and pushing him into the counter, pinning him there, "…it does…"

"I had it under control," Charlie argued as Sherlock came over.

"Yeah," Kylie laughed, "That's why you told him not to shoot you."

Charlie took out his phone and began calling for backup, "And for the record, I do have a bigger gun."

"Cute," Kylie said snidely, "Penis joke…"

Charlie smirked at her before walking away to talk to back up.

**Some shylie!**

**Review?**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! You guys make my day every time!**

**This chapter is sort of lame…so sorry. It was necessary for the story line though. It will get more exciting soon, I promise. **

"Come on Foreman, its just us now," Charlie said as he sat across from him in interrogation, "You get off on killing hookers, just admit it!"

They had returned from the Russian poker game and immediately thrown Foreman into interrogation for questioning. They had let him stew there for a few hours while Kylie and Sherlock got cleaned up. Charlie had gone into interrogate him while the rest of them watched from the observation room.

Foreman laughed slightly, "You don't get it do you?"

"Get what Foreman?" Charlie said as he threw his feet on the interrogation table looking at his with disgust.

Foreman laughed once more, "Those stupid whores, they have nothing! They are pieces of filth! They don't need to be on this planet, spreading their filth and dirt around. I treat those sluts all day."

"So you slit their throats at night?" Charlie said.

"NO!" Foreman said, "You spill their blood disease gets everywhere. Hepatitis, AIDS, HIV, and God knows what else. Why on EARTH would I try to unleash their filth on this world?"

"Because you are a psychopath?" Charlie said smiling at him.

Foreman leaned forward onto the table; "According to the medical association a psychopath is characterized by a pervasive pattern of disregard for the feelings of others and often the rules of society. Psychopaths have a lack of empathy and remorse, and have very shallow emotions. They are generally regarded as callous, selfish, dishonest, arrogant, aggressive, impulsive, irresponsible, and hedonistic. Despite this, psychopaths are often superficially charming and can be highly adept at manipulation. Do you think I have any of those qualities now mate?"

"Yeah," Charlie said, "Yeah I do. Want to know why? Because if you are so smart and such a good Doctor, then why do you work at a crotch rot clinic?"

Foreman glared at him, "business."

Kylie and Sherlock sighed. They had both missed it.

"What?" Lestrade asked as he looked at them.

"This isn't our guy," Kylie muttered as she ran a hand through her hair.

"How is he not our guy?" Lestrade asked incredulously.

"He said bad for business," Sherlock said as he hit the frame of the door lightly in frustration.

John and Lestrade gave him a blank stare.

"He's a pimp," Kylie clarified for them, "What pimp kills his girls?" she asked as she knocked on the glass to get Charlie out of the interrogation room.

"That doesn't mean that he isn't the killer," John said.

"Of course it does John!" Sherlock argued incredulously as Charlie walked out.

"What in the hell?" Charlie asked angrily, "I almost had him talking!"

"You always think that," Kylie muttered, "He's not our guy Charlie. He's a pimp, not our killer."

"So, he's a pimp," Charlie said crossly, "That makes him even more of a suspect."

"He's a pimp Charlie! What kind of pimp kills his own girls?" Kylie asked.

"One who knows that it gives him better access to them. He knows their whole lives, knows where they will be, and can make them, oh I don't know, get a tattoo that says HC on their wrist," Charlie said arguing with her.

"No," Kylie said shaking her head, "How were they killed in so many different places if it was the pimp. And if they were in the same circle, the other girls would catch on. They aren't stupid."

"Kylie its perfect! This is our guy!" Charlie argued.

"You are so closed minded!" Kyle argued with him.

"I am not…" Charlie started before Sherlock cut him off.

"Oh SHUT UP!" Sherlock yelled having more than enough of the bickering, "Seriously? How on earth do you put up with him?" he asked Kylie.

"How does she put up with me?" Charlie asked.

Sherlock rounded on him, "Yes you idiot. You obviously don't have the intellect of a toad. You charm your way through life, going through women left and right, not caring for any one of them. Kylie is the longest relationship you ever had, and that's because she refuses to have any romantic involvement with you," Sherlock then turned back to Kylie, "Good girl," then turned back to Charlie, "You try to find yourself in women because you don't have confidence in yourself. Your cocky, flirtatious attitude is an act, a cover. Let me guess, parents didn't love you enough?"

"Sherlock," John said warningly.

"You were an only child born into a wealthy family. Your mother died at a young age and you were left with just your father. He didn't want a child."

"Sherlock."

"So he shipped you off to every boarding school he could. You acted up, tried to get out, but he kept getting rid of you. All you wanted was his attention, for him to be proud of you."

Sherlock stopped when he felt Kylie's hand on his arm. He turned and looked at her.

"Sherlock, stop," Kylie told him. He could see that she was hurting for her partner; he could see the sadness in his eyes. His body relaxed slightly from its natural tense state at her contact.

Sherlock looked at Charlie. His face was slightly paled as he looked at the ground, his arms folded.

"I'm sorry," Sherlock said causing John and Lestrade's head to snap up quickly and Charlie to give him a weird look, "I shouldn't have said that, forgive me."

With that, Sherlock walked out of the room. Kylie gave Charlie an apologetic look before walking out after Sherlock.

"I'm sorry," John said in shock, "Did Sherlock just….apologize?"

Lestrade looked at John, shock still written all over his face.

"I don't think he's EVER apologized," Lestrade gaped.

"I consider myself lucky then," Charlie muttered before walking out.

John and Lestrade looked at each other.

"Is it just me, or do you think…" Lestrade began.

"Sherlock is becoming more…"

"human?"

"Well, I was going to say emotional, but close enough."

Kylie popped her head back into the room, "We have another victim, and coroner said she was killed in the last three hours."

"But Foreman's been with us the whole time," John said.

"Exactly, he's not the killer, that bastard is still out there."

**The next chapter will be more exciting! …hopefully…**

**Review?**


	14. Chapter 14

_**WARNING! This Chapter is EXTREMELY DARK AND GRUESOME! The detail on the victim is pretty damn bad and so this chapter is optional. If you don't want to read it, its not essential. I will sum up in less detail in the next chapter. I made it very short for that reason. **_

_**What I wrote here is based on the autopsy report for the Ripper last and most violent murder. It is highly disturbing and if you had any problem with any of the others, DO NO READ THIS CHAPTER! I had trouble writing this chapter because of what that crazy bastard did to that poor woman.**_

**So, I apologize for the shortness but I wanted to keep this chapter optional. I am beginning the next chapter as soon as I am done posting this one, so it will be up later today and I will try to make it a long one. **

**Thanks to all of you who sent me reviews! I will thank you all in the next chapter personally!**

The group arrived at the scene to find a few rookie officers and even a few distinguished homicide detectives throwing up in the bushes out front.

"Well, that cant be a good sign," Charlie muttered as they approached the door to find Hernandez walking out of the small beach house in a slight shade of green.

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph," Hernandez said as he saw them, "This is the bastard you've been going after?"

"Most likely," Charlie stated.

Hernandez shook his head in disbelief, "Whoever the killer is, you lot need to catch him quick, because whoever did that, isn't human."

Kylie glanced at Sherlock as he pushed past them all and walked into the house. Kylie gave another look at Hernandez before walking into the house after him.

The smell of blood filled the air, much more than at any other crime scene. Kylie walked down the hallway to the bedroom to see Sherlock stopped dead in his tracks at the sight before him. Kylie's stomach churned. She had seen a lot of disturbing deaths and destruction over the years, but nothing, nothing could ever compare to this slaughter.

There was a woman lying naked on the bed, drenched in her own blood. Her throat had ben cut right down to her spinal cord. Her shoulders lay flat on the bed, while her lays were splayed open. Just like every other victim, the woman was cut open from pelvis to sternum except this time, all of the viscera inside of her had been emptied and placed around the room. Her breasts had been cut off and one had been placed in between her feet along with her liver, while the other was peaking out from underneath her head along with two other organs. Kylie couldn't tell which ones, but the horror of her face kept her rooted to the spot. Her face didn't even look like a face. It had been hacked in every which direction. Her nose, cheeks, eyebrows, and ears were so cut up, that they were essentially partially removed, her mass of auburn hair coated in blood. That wasn't the worst part though, no the most horrible part, was that the killer had skinned the poor woman in certain areas. He had removed the skin and dermal viscera of the abdomen in what looked like three large flaps. Her legs had been skinned as well, stripped of both skin and muscle in parts.

"Dear God," Kylie heard Charlie mutter as he took in the scene.

Kylie just stared at the body before she felt soft latex hit her arm. She looked down to see Sherlock handing her gloves. She took them and smiled at him softly. His eyes were soft, not like they usually were on a case. The terror that was in front of him was affecting him too.

Kylie donned them as they took a step towards the body and stopped, not really even knowing where to begin.

"Kylie, these injuries…" Sherlock began.

"They are exactly the same as the Ripper's final victim in White Chapel," Kylie said looking at him," He even positioned her the same way, placed her organs in the same place."

"One breast between her feet with the liver, meaning…" Sherlock began as he carefully lifted the victim's head, "He placed her other breast under her head."

"Along with her kidneys and uterus, just like the Ripper," Kylie said quietly.

Kylie then moved to her mass of intestines on the left side of the victim's body, lifting them up slightly till she found what she was looking for.

"Her spleen is in with the intestines."

"On the victim's left side," Sherlock noted gravely.

"Is that?" Lestrade asked in horror as he pointed to a table near the closet.

Kylie and Sherlock turned to look. A mass of skin and muscle had been laid out neatly on the table. They walked over to inspect it.

"I'm not an expert in soft tissue, but my guess would be that this is the skin and soft tissue that had been removed from the abdomen and thighs," Kylie said before turning to see the horror that lay on the faces of everyone in the room.

"So this bastard copied the Ripper exactly on this one?" Charlie asked, "Not varying at all?"

"It would seem so," Sherlock said as he examined the body further.

"His last murder was by far his most violent," Kylie told them, "the rage that made him differ, didn't affect how he killed this poor women because the way the Ripper did it was already so violent."

"We got what we think is an ID on the victim," Hernandez said as he walked in room, "We cant really get a positive ID by her face anymore, ya know."

Hernandez looked down with sorrow at his paper, "We assumed the house is registered to the victim, a Mary Jane Kelly."

Kylie and Sherlock's head snapped up so quickly that John was shocked they didn't snap it in the process.

"What?" Kylie asked, horror in her voice, "That can't be right. It just can't."

"Why Kylie?" Charlie asked, "Do you know her?"

Kylie shook her head as she stared back down at the woman's lifeless blue eyes, "No, Mary Jane Kelly was the name of the Rippers actual last victim, the one who's injuries the killer copied to kill this woman."

…**I hope the crazy son of a bitch who did commit these murders died a horrible death and rotted in hell for all eternity. **


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the last two chapters! You guys are amazing! To those of you who read Chapter 14, I am sorry for the darkness of it. **

**SuperfunkyGirl:**** That would be as it seems! And thanks!**

**There'sapennyinmypocket:**** Its all good! I completely understand! I'm just glad you have a functioning computer once more! I don't have a TV and most of classes have a bunch of online stuff, so my computer is my lifeline. I know how frustrating that can be.**

**ChelGallifreya221B613: ****Thanks so much! That means a lot!  
**

**TheSheepEnchanter:**** ha-ha that's an awesome line! I'll def have to include that somewhere! And I LOVE long reviews, so if you feel like writing a long one, go right ahead! It makes my day! And I am definitely with you, if I got to kiss Sherlock (or Benedict Cumberbatch), I could die a happy woman right there on the spot.**

**GoldBee: ****I hope you have a great holiday!**

**Oreal770:**** Hahahah, yeah I promise you I do have a life. I sprained my ankle pretty bad playing, so I've been pretty immobile for the last week, with nothing to do but watch Netflix and write. But it only takes me about an hour to get a chapter out if I'm focused, but I bet it does seem like I don't have a life ahahaha. **

**DianaleeHolmes: ****It is super interesting. I completely agree. But yeah, no one should ever have to die like that. **

**PeaceTia: ****You are completely fine! I'll take any review whenever I can get them!**

**Gwilwillith: ****Yes, yes he was. And thanks so much.**

**Also, my updates are going to become much more irregular pretty soon! I start my summer semester tomorrow and I will be working A LOT in the next couple of weeks. So I will try to get chapters up whenever I can, but it wont be like it has the last week!**

**Here's a nice long chapter! I hope you guys enjoy!**

"So the killer tracked his victim down and killed her based on her name," John asked as they walked back into the conference room.

"Yeah well, we still don't know what she did for a living," Kylie said as she set down her bag and opened the laptop on the table looking up Mary Jane Kelly.

"So let me get this straight," Charlie said sitting down in a chair, "This guy, hates hookers, wants to kill hookers, but because he is so obsessed with Jack the Ripper, he kills them exactly like the real Ripper did with such precision, but due to the fact that he hates them, he kills them more violently?"

"Yes, except for the last one that is," John added, "Because it's not like that murder had enough rage involved in it."

"The first victim though," Charlie said looking in the file, "She wasn't a prostitute, she was a model."

"Yeah but she had a charge of prostitution on her record," Kylie stated as she waited for the computer to find Mary Jane Kelly, "That must be close enough for him."

The computer beeped as Sherlock came around and looked over Kylie's shoulder, a puzzled look on both of their faces.

"What?" Lestrade asked shoving his hand into his pockets.

"She was a model, no prostitution charge though," Kylie said typing, "That cant be right, he only kills prostitutes."

"What model agency was she with?" Charlie asked typing on his computer once more.

"uh, Becker Modeling agency," Kylie said.

"The victim we found last week was with the same agency," Charlie said looking at her.

"So now we have a connection between a modeling agency and hookers?" John asked as Sherlock sat back in his chair.

"Well, one in the same sometimes?" Lestrade said.

Everyone, including Sherlock looked at him.

Lestrade shrugged as he sat down in his chair.

"Before I went to Homicide, I worked VICE for three years. Almost all of the high-class prostitutes that we arrested worked for modeling agencies. They take pictures and some make thousands on the side by sleeping with upper class rich men for money," Lestrade told them.

"So do the agencies provide the service? Or are these girls just freelancing?" Kylie asked.

"It was usually through the agency," Lestrade told them.

"I don't get it, we know who the killer is!" John said, "We know it was someone with Doctors within city limits. And Foreman has an airtight alibi, him being in custody and all. Its Hillsdale!"

"No, its not," Charlie said gravely.

"What?" Kylie asked, "John's right, we need to go pick him up!"

"I'm guessing he has an airtight alibi too," Sherlock said while deep within thought, "You put a tail on him am I right?"

Charlie looked down.

"You put a tail on Hillsdale?" Kylie asked, "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I just wanted to be sure he wasn't going to go near you," Charlie said looking at Kylie.

Kylie gaped at him, "When will all of you realize that I DON'T need protecting. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."

Kylie pinched the bridge of her nose.

"So where does this leave us? With no suspects what-so-ever," Kylie ranted angrily.

"Why would he kill everyday prostitutes in London, and then kill only high class ones through a modeling agency in San Diego?" Charlie asked.

Kylie turned and looked at the pictures of the victims on the wall, leaning back in her chair slightly.

"They all look like me," Kylie said looking at the last two victims.

"Yeah, makes me wonder if it was the modeling agency that made them dye their hair or if it was the Ripper?" Lestrade said looking at the pictures.

"Yeah," Kylie said quietly, standing up and walking over to look at the victims, "Our killer is connected with that agency. I don't know how, maybe he's a client, maybe he's in the agency. We need to find that connection."

"And how do we do that with out drawing attention?" Charlie asked, "We go in there guns a blazing, well tip of the killer."

"That's why we aren't going to go in there guns a blazing," Kylie said as she looked at the board.

Sherlock's head snapped towards her.

"What?" Charlie asked, confused.

"I'm going in there," Kylie said looking at them.

"What," Charlie said his face dropping.

"I'm guessing with two dead, they are going to need a new model right?" Kylie said.

"Kylie…" Charlie began to argue before Kylie rounded on him.

"Charlie, I swear to God if you tell me not to do this I will hit you. I am a trained Federal agent, and it is my job to see that this bastard doesn't kill again. And if that means I have to pretend to be a model, I will," Kylie said grabbing her bag, "Well do it tomorrow, now if you excuse me, I have to take Toby for a run. Goodnight."

With that, Kylie walked out of the conference room and towards the elevator with out a sound from the four men in the room.

Sherlock just stared out the door after Kylie.

John turned to Charlie, "What do we do we cant let her just walk into that?"

Charlie sighed and pulled out his phone, "Call one of the only people who can talk some sense into her. Though he will probably kill me for not telling him sooner. And she'll kill me for calling him," Charlie said smiling as he held the phone to his ear, "So I'm dead either way."

**#%&*%**

Kylie was running in shorts and a swimsuit on the beach an hour later, Toby happily at her side as thoughts flooded her head. It was dark out, but light from the street nearby guided her way.

She couldn't get the night before out of her head. Sherlock had thrown her up against the wall and kissed her like she had never been kissed before. God, she had forgotten how good his hands felt on her body. His hands…they had been all over her. That couldn't have been acting, it didn't feel like acting at least. She had been in many situations where she has had to act like a couple, even some with Thomas, but it had never EVER been like that.

She had felt the passion, the urgency, the desire in the kiss. It couldn't be acting, could it?

This was Sherlock Holmes we were talking about. Even when they were dating, she had no idea what was going on in that head of his. He was brilliant, he could box up feelings and emotions and hide them away. Had what she felt been his true feelings, or was it all acting?

Kylie rolled her eyes at herself as she picked up her pace, she needed to stop this. This was probably all in her head. She knew she still loved him with all of her heart, but she couldn't get herself hopeful. He had made it very clear when she had left that he did not want a relationship once more, and truthfully, Kylie didn't blame him one bit, she had ripped his heart out on stomped on it. He told her that he loved her and she didn't believe him. She knew that he had never put himself out there, opened himself before, and she shut him out forever.

God, that kiss though. She wanted more, she had forgotten how wonderful it felt to be back in his arms until that moment. She couldn't get that kiss out of her head, and the way he looked at her afterwards, when she had wiped the lipstick off of his face outside of the poker game.

Kylie slowed as she walked up the path towards the street and towards her house. She looked at her watch, God, she had run her usual circuit ten minutes faster than she usually did. The sexual tension she had was killing her, it was as if she couldn't run enough.

Kylie bent down and removed Toby's collar as he run in the house barking happily as he wagged his tail wildly, running over to the couch.

Kylie flicked on the lights only to jump about ten feet in the air as she saw someone sitting on the couch where Toby was currently laying upside down.

She whirled round to see Sherlock scratching Toby's belly.

Kylie let out a sigh of relief, "You scared me," she told him as she threw her keys down and looked at him.

He was staring at her, his eyes gazing up and down her body. She suddenly felt very self-conscious. She was standing there in just her swimsuit top and running shorts while his gaze was locked on her. She didn't feel uncomfortable under his gaze, just nervous. She had no idea why.

Sherlock slowly stood up and walked over to her, stopping when he was only about a foot away from her. Kylie looked up at him, she saw something in his face, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was.

She watched as he reached out and brushed a stray hair behind her ear that had fallen out of her ponytail while she had been jogging.

"Don't do it," he whispered as she took a small step closer to him, his hand still on her face.

"I have to, we need to stop him," she whispered.

_He was so close now…._

"Not at this cost," Sherlock said breathlessly as he leaned in.

Kylie's breath caught in her throat as he eyes began to close.

"Am I interrupting something?" a smooth female voice said, causing both Sherlock and Kylie to spring apart.

Kylie froze completely. There in her hallway was none other than Irene Adler. She was leaned up against the door in a skintight dress with a smirk as she looked between the two of them.

"What in the hell are you doing in my house," Kylie said gritting her teeth angrily.

"I came in with Sherlock," she said simply as Toby growled at her slightly, as if waiting for Kylie's command.

Kylie turned and glared at Sherlock, who was not surprised to see her at all. That bastard brought her here.

Sherlock just shrugged at her as he walked back over to the couch and began petting Toby once more, "She has information."

Kylie scoffed, "Information on how to be a hooker?"

Irene looked at her, "Cute," she spat back, "but no, I have better information for you. Information I have acquired over the last couple months."

"About what?" Kylie asked.

"The Ripper copy-cat of course," Irene said.

Kylie looked at her a moment before looking at Sherlock, "Is she serious?"

"Deadly, I've been assured," Sherlock told her.

"What do you know?" Kylie asked, "And why should I trust you?"

"Because I found I have been working for the wrong people," Irene said looking at Kylie, the smirk fading from her face slightly.

Kylie looked at her curiously, that was something that she wasn't expecting.

"She was working for Thomas," Sherlock said bordly.

"No shit," Kylie said crossing her arms.

Irene glared at her, "Thomas was helping the copy-cat. I got him information, information he was feeding to the killer."

"You willingly helped to kill those women?" Kylie asked her, "You really are a heartless bitch."

"I didn't know!" Irene said her eyes shining with tears.

Kylie immediately shut her mouth, was Irene Adler sorry for what she did?

"I didn't know he was using the information to pick his victims," Irene said.

"You found the victims, you knew them?" Kylie asked.

"Well, I worked with some of them, and the rest I just knew what they liked." Irene said.

Kylie just looked at her as a tear ran down Irene's face. The victims, she knew them. They were her friends.

"Do you know who the killer is?" Kylie asked softly.

"No," Irene said shaking her head, "All I know is that he's a man. Introduces himself as a Doctor." Irene paused for a moment, "Did you find Mary Jane?"

Kylie nodded gravely.

"I thought so," Irene said, "Harringer said he couldn't get her last night."

"Harringer?" Kylie asked.

"The head of Becker Modeling," Irene told her, "Mary Jane worked for him."

"You know the head of Becker modeling?" Kylie gaped. This was far too perfect.

"I know what he likes," Irene replied sadly.

Kylie watched her for a moment, "Mary Jane was your friend."

Irene nodded slightly.

"I'm so sorry Irene," Kylie said sympathetically.

"The killer…?" Sherlock pressed before both women glared at him.

"Did Thomas tell you anything about him, about his plan at all?" Kylie asked gently.

"Just that he wanted to help an old friend," Irene said.

"An old friend of Thomas?" Kylie said looking at Sherlock.

"That means you know him," Sherlock said sitting up straighter.

"Well, Moriarty was a friend of Thomas's but I didn't know him," Kylie retorted before turning her attention back to Irene.

"Look, Irene can you get me into the modeling agency? I need to get in undercover so maybe we can catch this son of a bitch and stop him from killing again."

Irene looked Kylie up and down before nodding, "Sure, God knows you have the body and face for it."

"I'm sorry," Kylie said slightly smiling at her, "Did you just hit on me?"

Irene just smiled at her.

"You're not doing it," Sherlock said standing up.

"Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?" Kylie asked standing up and facing Sherlock.

"Its too dangerous. He's after you," Sherlock told her.

"I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself," Kylie said stubbornly.

Sherlock just looked at her before storming off into the kitchen and began to make tea. Kylie raised an eyebrow, since when did he make tea?

"He really does care about you you know," Irene told her quietly.

Kylie turned to look at her.

"I practically jumped him and he didn't even respond. Kept going on about you."

Kylie smiled slightly, did he really still care?

"I owe you an apology," Irene said quietly.

"What for?" Kylie asked. Well, there were a lot of things that Irene should apologize for.

"I had no idea what Thomas did to you," Irene told her looking at her. Kylie could see the hurt in her eyes.

Kylie smiled at her gently, "What did he tell you? That I broke his heart, cried rape and ran away?"

Irene smiled slightly, "something like that."

There was a pause, "I'm not proud of what I did Kylie, but I did it to survive. I loved Mary Jane, she was like a sister to me….and now, she's gone."

Kylie looked at the broken women beside her as she sat down on the couch and laid a hand on hers, "Lets go get that son of a bitch then."

Irene smiled at her softly as tears adorned her face.

"Do you have somewhere to stay?" Kylie asked as Sherlock came out and handed each of them a cup of tea.

"Where she is staying isn't safe," Sherlock told them handing them a cup.

Irene and Kylie accepted the tea with some bewilderment before Sherlock retreated back into the kitchen to fetch his own.

"You've even gotten the great Sherlock Holmes to become domestic," Irene said as Kylie laughed at her slightly.

Sherlock came back into the room with a confused look on his face.

"You'll stay here then," Kylie told her, "I think I'll need some help looking like a model tomorrow.

"Oh sweetheart," Irene said looking her up and down with a smile, "You'll have no problem getting in."

**Thoughts? Feelings? Explanations? **

**Review?**


	16. Chapter 16

**Spinner12:**** …that she has! And thanks so much! School always comes first! Thanks for understanding!**

**Crimson TigerLilly: **** Thanks so much…I really needed that!**

**Ainmell Snape****: Yeah I did get Toby from the books! That's good to know that Moffit and Gattis are probably planning on using Toby in the next series! They are Conan Doyle freaks after all! I mean they have every freaking detail. Like in the Hounds of Baskerville, when Sherlock is looking for cigarettes he looks in the toe of his slipper, which is where Conan Doyle's original character hid his tobacco. Well, now I am rambling.. but thanks for letting me know! Sherlock borrowed Toby for a case, so I wouldn't be surprised if they did use a Toby! And thanks so much for reading! It means a lot!**

**Kiara d'Arc Erzebeth:**** It was unexpected for me! Hahaha I wasn't planning on doing that, but that's just how the chapter turned out! Thanks so much! That means a lot! And don't apologize for not reviewing! I love your reviews, but I get that life happens!**

**SuperFunkyGirl:**** Irene is by far the hardest character to write for me..well Sherlock too…he's pretty hard as well. But I'm glad she's more in character.**

**GoldBee: **** Have a safe flight!**

**Sheepenchanter1:**** I know how that goes! Good luck on your exams!**

**PeaceTia:**** Good luck to you as well! I had my first class today (I'm taking a physics course in 6 weeks…and I have a midterm next tues , and today was my first day!) Sorry..I vented there… Good luck to you my dear! Its gonna be rough!**

**Elleari:**** Thanks so much for reading for so long! Hahaha, yeah….I hate proof reading, so I never EVER do it. And I hate spell check, so sorry for all of the errors. And thanks so much! That really truly means a lot! I have played with the idea of sending them abroad. I think it would be really fun to write and cool for the story line, but myself having no experience abroad, and the fact that I would have to deal with the language factor, I have decided against it. Because 1) I am too lazy to spend that much time on Google translate, and 2) I have other serial killer plots that would have to take place in the US and in Britain floating in my head. As far as how long the story will go, I have no clue…I don't even really have a plan when I write a chapter, I just sit and type. I come up with big picture ideas and just type until I think it's about a chapter. Thanks so much for reading!**

**A huge thanks to There'sapennyinmypocket, thegirlwiththebrowneyes, Gwilwillith, jessness31, Jessiica, ChelGallifreya221B613, and DianaleeHolmes for their reviews also! I love you all!  
**

**Okay guys, so here's the deal. I am taking a physics course this summer. While I knew it was going to be time consuming, (Its 3.5 hours of class 4 days a week) I did not realize my teacher was going to drowned us in homework and lab reports while giving us enough information of electrical and magnetic fields and quantum mechanics to last a lifetime. So, what I am trying to say is, my updates are going to become much more sparing, especially when I begin coaching again the week after next. **

**I will try to update as much as I can during the weekend. I want to keep you guys happy! You seriously have no idea how much it makes my day when I get a review or a nice note from a reader. For real I was in class about wanting to punch my prof when got a Pm and a review that put a smile on my face. So thanks guys, you made my day a lot better!**

**I'm rambling! Sorry! Here's the next chapter! I hope you guys enjoy!**

"So let me get this straight," John asked the next morning in Kylie's home, "Irene just showed up and now her and Kylie are….friends?"

"It would seem so," Sherlock said.

They were waiting for Kylie and Irene to emerge from the bedroom down the hall. Kylie was going to go undercover as a model at Becker Modeling agency. Though it was against the will of everyone else in the room, Kylie was dead set on the fact.

"This is bloody stupid," Lestrade said as he paced the living room, "This killer is literally hunting Kylie, leaves messages about her in blood, and now she is going to just walk right into the agency where the killer finds his victims? Its bloody stupid!"

"Well, you know Kylie," Charlie said as he rubbed Toby's stomach, "Once her mind is made up, there's no changing it."

"Damn straight," Kylie said as she walked out of the room.

She really didn't look all that different. She was wearing a tight high waisted skirt with tank top all covered with a blazer. Her hair was pulled back from her face with an elegant side bun. She barely had any makeup on, showing her natural beauty for all it was.

"WOW, look at you," Charlie said as he looked her up and down with approval.

"You look good," John said smiling at her.

"Thank you," Kylie said as she messed about with her skirt slightly.

"It's not like it was that difficult to make you look gorgeous," Irene said as she waltzed in behind Kylie.

"Are you hitting on me again?" Kylie said smiling.

Irene smiled at her as she looked her up and down, "If I didn't know better, I would try to find out what you liked."

Kylie and Irene stared at each other for a moment before they started laughing and walked out the door and out to the car.

The men in the room just gaped at the pair of them.

"Last week, Kylie wanted to rip her throat out!" John gaped.

"I really don't get women," Lestrade said as they followed them out.

"Okay Kylie," Charlie's voice said over through the earpiece that Kylie was wearing, "We're right outside if you need us. If you get into trouble, the distress signal is you are getting a call from your Uncle Charlie."

"That's not your average safe word," Irene said as she walked beside Kylie and towards the main desk.

Kylie stifled a grin as the young woman at the front desk turned towards them "Can I help you?" she asked them.

"Yes, hi," Kylie said, "My name is Anna Wiley. I have an audition today."

The girl looked her up and down, jealously flashing in her eyes before a fake smile overtook her face once more, "I'm sorry, we don't have any positions available at this time."

Kylie frowned at her slightly before Irene took a step forward, "Hello Jeanette," she purred, "Miss Wiley is here to see Mr. Harringer…privately."

"Oh Miss Adler," Jeanette said slightly take aback, "I didn't see you there. I will let Mr. Harringer know that you are here." Jeanette then picked up the phone and began dialing while Kylie pulled out her vibrating phone from her pocket.

She looked down at the caller ID and sighed before shoving it back into her pocket.

"Some one you don't want to hear from?" Irene asked looking at her.

"No," Kylie said "Its my dad. That's like the 15th time he's called me."

"He's worried about you."

"No, I think someone told him what was going on," Kylie said through gritted teeth.

John looked at Charlie as they sat in the surveillance van, "You are a dead man."

Just then, Charlie's phone decided to ring. He looked down as his phone flashed with the name JETHRO GIBBS across the front. Charlie gulped at it nervously.

"Hello?" Charlie said as he picked up the phone.

"Charlie," Gibbs said in a dangerously quiet voice, "Why in the hell is my daughter not picking up?"

"She's um…on an op right now. I'll be sure to have her call you afterward," Charlie told him in the most confident voice he could manage.

"You are telling me, that you sent my daughter into an undercover operation in which the killer is targeting her? You sent her in as bait?"

"Uh, no. I highly disagree with this, everyone does, but you see when Kylie decides to do something…"

"What do you mean everyone?" Gibbs asked.

"Uh, Scotland Yard is assisting with the case," Charlie said, sort of bewildered why this was important.

"That doctor and Sherlock are there too I'm assuming?"

Charlie gave Sherlock and John a strange look before answering, "Yeah."

Charlie heard Gibbs sigh on the other end of the line, "Just help those two make sure she is safe," he said before hanging up the phone.

Charlie pulled his phone away and looked at it before turning his attention to the screen as Irene and Kylie walked down the hallway and towards the office.

Kylie and Irene stopped in front of the door before a good-looking man in about his mid-forties opened it up.

"Miss Adler," he said in a charming voice as he took her hand and pressed a kiss onto it, "it is always a pleasure to see you my dear."

Irene smiled, "It is always a pleasure."

Harringer then turned his attention to Kylie, "my my…" he said as he looked Kylie up and down with his steely grey eyes as he shoved his hands into his expensive Italian suit, "you are stunning, aren't you?"

"Anna Wiley," Kylie said extending her hand, trying to play off confidence as her insides squirmed under his stare. God, she hated being the center of attention.

Harringer smiled at her and took her hand gently kissing it, his eyes never leaving hers, "Beautiful and confidant. Two of the best qualities a woman can have."

Harringer smiled at her for a moment longer before Irene cleared her throat lightly.

"Well, how about the two of you come in? How rude of me not to invite you in sooner," Harringer said as he held the door open for Kylie and Irene to enter.

"Can I get you a refreshment?" Harringer asked as they walked into an extremely well furnished office. The office was large, quite large in fact and a burgundy desk was on one side of the room facing the enormous window with a breathtaking view of the ocean.

"No thank you," Kylie replied as she walked towards the window to look out.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Harringer replied as he walked up behind Kylie.

"Yes, it is," Kylie said gazing out at the ocean.

They all looked at it for a moment before Harringer retreated back to his desk.

"So, Miss Wiley, Miss Adler here tells me you are interested in Modeling with Becker modeling agency."

"yes, sir," Kylie said sitting next to Irene across from Harringer.

"Well you certainly are beautiful enough," Harrigner told her, "Do you have any modeling experience?"

Kylie froze, she had not thought this through the whole way, she was supposed to have pictures, runway video, experience, and she had none at all.

"She just returned from three years in London," Irene filled in for her quickly.

"London?" Harringer said sitting back in his chair, "I just came over from London about two months ago."

"He could be our guy!" Lestrade said in the van, "He's British and fits the time line, and god knows he's a slimey enough bastard."

"Is that the voice you heard?" Charlie asked.

"Its not him," Sherlock told them.

"How could you know that?" Charlie said, his patience with the dark haired detective wearing thin.

"Because we are looking for someone with medical experience, true medical experience. And tell me, where would he get the ketamine?" Sherlock argued.

"Irene Adler could have given it to him," John added earning a stare from Sherlock, "She dosed you in the same spot with the same drug."

"She wasn't in on it," Sherlock told him.

"She told you she was," John told him flatly, "And I don't trust her. Look, just because you have a thing with those two women…"

"I don't have a _thing_," Sherlock retorted with disgust at the very thought as he looked back at the screen.

"Yes you do," all three of the others replied at the same time.

"What agency were you with before?" Harringer asked Kylie.

"Free lance," Kylie said smiling at him.

Harringer smiled at her.

"Well," he said, "lets see you walk then. Up you go."

Kylie stood up with some hesitancy and turned to walk before Harringer stopped her, "Jacket off, I want to see that body of yours."

Kylie shut her eyes in slight disgust before turning around and removing her jacket with a smile and setting it on the chair.

"Just there and back now," Harringer said as he leaned back and watched her with a smile.

Harringer waited until Kylie had come back, "Stop," he said sizing her up, "Turn around."

Kylie turned slowly as he looked her up and down, "Well my dear you certainly are a beautiful, a bit too muscular but beautiful indeed."

_A bit muscular? I'm toned, not buff…_

"You work out?"

"I run twice a day," Kylie replied.

"And did you eat today?" Harringer asked.

"Yeah, I always eat…" Kylie started.

"Yeah you are going to want to stop that," harringer told her as he took out some paper work, "Either stop eating or shove your fingers down your throat, either will work. Oh and stop running, that and lack of food will take down your muscle mass rapidly."

Kylie's mouth contorted in anger before Irene elbowed her in the thigh forcing a smile back on her face.

"Of course," Kylie replied through gritted teeth.

"Good," Harringer said looking her up and down once more time, "Are you interested in making some more money? Off the record, I mean."

_Now we were getting somewhere…_

"What do you mean?' Kylie asked sitting down.

"Well, a pretty girl like you could make good money men….company," Harringer said.

Kylie smiled at him.

"We got you, you bastard," Charlie muttered.

"I do need some extra money," Kylie said, "Do you have any clients in mind?"

Harringer smiled, "In fact, I do. He likes auburn haired, blue eyed women."

"Well then I'm perfect now, aren't I?" Kylie said smiling.

"You are seriously not going to go on a date with a psychopathic murderer are you?" Charlie gaped at her as they walked back into the FBI building.

"Well we have to find out who this son of a bitch is now don't we?" Kylie said ignoring the stares that the other agents were giving her as she walked in still in her skirt and tank top.

"Yeah but you don't need to prostitute yourself in the process," Charlie said, "Your father would really kill me then."

Kylie stopped walking and turned slowly facing Charlie with a steely glare. Charlie's eyes widened, he knew that glare…he was in trouble….

"What do you mean, my dad will kill you?" Kylie said, her voice dangerously low, "You wouldn't have told him about this case, would you? Because you know that that would be stupid. You are smart enough to know that I would kick the shit out of you if you were to tell my dad. You see, stuff like this tends to upset him, and I hate it when my father is upset."

"Okay I may have called your father…" Charlie began before Kylie lunged at him only to be stopped by Sherlock's arm wrapping around her as he picked her up and carried her into the conference room as she struggled.

"Put me DOWN!" Kylie said as he gently set her down on the ground. Kyle turned to go back out the door before Sherlock stepped in front of her trapping her against his chest.

"Calm down," Sherlock told her as she struggled.

"He told my Dad, Sherlock," Kylie argued as she still struggled to get out of his grasp as he just held her tighter, "he told my Dad that I have a serial killer after me and now I'm whoring myself to catch him."

"To be fair, this isn't the first time you've had a serial killer after you," Sherlock joked as Kylie began to stop struggling and began laughing against his chest as she gripped his blazer.

Sherlock began to chuckle as well as he rubbed her back slightly. Kylie's laughs began to die down as she just stayed where she was, her grip loosening on his blazer. She just stayed there, breathing in his scent as he held her to his chest.

"And you're not whoring yourself," Sherlock whispered to her. Kylie pulled away slightly to look up at him. She saw his blue eyes on hers. They were soft, they weren't the piercing blue that they usually were when they were working on cases. He looked…looked as if he…cared, truly cared about her. But he didn't…. did he? Was that acting, not really acting?

"You are worth far much more than that," he said brushing some hair out of her face, "You are extraordinary."

Kylie looked at him, really looked at him, "What happened to us Sherlock? I mean really? What happened to us?"

Sherlock looked at her for a moment before letting her go as if she were contaminated vermin. Kylie stood there, slightly hurt as Sherlock went and sat in his usual seat and began looking at pictures of the crime scene. Kylie just looked at him for a moment before nodding and walking out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Lestrade asked as John, Charlie, and Irene walked into the room.

"Bathroom," Kylie muttered as she brushed past them.

Lestrade watched her leave before turning and looking at Sherlock. He was looking at the files before he slowly began to look up at Kylie's retreating form. It was a look that was not missed by Irene either as she followed his gaze and gave Lestrade a half smile.

So Sherlock Holmes really was falling for her once more. Lestrade smiled to himself, about damn time.

**Thoughts? Concerns? Questions? **

**I'll try to have another chapter up as soon as I can!**

**Review?**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey Guys! Here's a short part of the next chapter! Thanks so much for all of the reviews that I have gotten. I don't have time right now to thank you all personally, I have to go and study some more (I wrote this real quick on a study break), but I will hopefully have the rest up for you guys much later tonight!**

**Enjoy!**

Kylie shut herself in the bathroom stall and allowed the tears that she had in her eyes to fall. She didn't get it, didn't get it one bit. One moment he looked as if he was going to kiss her, and the next he drops her like a contaminated piece of trash. She didn't get it? How wishy-washy could one person get? Now she was remembering why she had left London in the first place.

Kylie looked down at her phone buzzing in her pocket. She pulled it out and looked at the caller ID before not knowing whether to laugh or cry…he always had the worst and best timing.

"Hey Dad," Kylie said picking up the phone as she held her head in her hands as to help compose herself.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs froze on the other end of the line. When he called, he had every intention of chewing his daughter out for doing something as stupid as making herself bait for a serial killer, but when he heard the emotion cracking through her voice, he found he couldn't.

"What's wrong Ky?" he asked her.

"Nothing Dad, its just….its just been a long day?" Kylie said as her voice began cracking even more.

Kylie mentally slapped herself, she always was able to keep herself together, but when it came to her father, her true emotions always showed through.

"What's wrong Kylie?" Gibbs pressed.

"I'm so confused, Dad," Kylie said her barriers breaking down once more, "I just…I don't get it."

"Let me guess, Sherlock?"

"I don't get it Dad!" Kylie said as tears began to flow down her cheeks, "One minute he is looking at me as if he cares about me, and then next he's shoving me away. Its like he is messing with me."

Gibbs heart broke for his daughter.

"I want to get over him Dad, but I cant! Every time I see him, it just breaks down every defense I have put up. I'm crazy about him and I can't stop it! But how can I be in love with someone who pulls me in only to push me away once more?"

"Did you ever think that he might be just as confused with himself as you are?"

Kylie stopped to think about it. She knew Sherlock always struggled with himself when it came to emotions, was he just confused? Was it just an internal struggle? Did he really care for her and he just didn't want to face it?

"Kylie?"

"Yeah, sorry Dad. I'm still here."

"I'm right aren't I?"

"What do you want me to say? You are always right?"

"Yeah something like that."

Kylie laughed slightly through her tears.

"Look Ky, part of me wants me to come down there and rip his head off for making you cry, but he does care about you. I saw it in his eyes, the way he looked at you. He looked at you the same way I looked at you mother."

Kylie smiled and fingered the wedding ring she had on around her neck.

"But, I will come down and knock some sense into him," Gibbs told her.

"No, Dad," Kylie said smiling, "I'll be fine thanks though."

"So, what's this about you being bait for a psychopath?" Gibbs asked.

"Oh look, Dad, I gotta go. Love you!," Kylie said quickly.

"Kyleigha don't you DARE…"

Kylie hung up the phone quickly before her father could begin to chew her out once more. She rested her head in her hands once more. She was so confused. She loved Sherlock Holmes, yet hated him for taking her heart. She wanted to hit him, yet kiss him at the same time. There were so many contradictions in her life right now. This is why she had moved away in the first place, she couldn't do this, not anymore.

Kylie's phone rang once more. She sniffed as she wiped the tears away, looking down at her phone once more. She smiled before she picked it up.

"Hey Mary," Kylie said, "How are you?"

"Oh Kylie! I have so much to tell you!" Mary squealed excitedly, "Has John told you yet?"

Kylie frowned, "Told me what?"

"Oh well he told me he was going to tell you!" Mary said excitedly.

"Tell me what Mary?" Kylie asked.

"He proposed!"

Kylie's mind went blank.

"What?"

"We're getting married Kylie! John and I!" Mary said excitedly.

"Mary that's wonderful!" Kylie said, truly excited for her friend.

"Thanks, I know! I want to tell you all about it, but I don't have time right now, the movers are on their way to Baker street. Can I Skype you later?"

"Yeah of course," Kylie told her, "What do you mean the movers are on their way to Baker Street?"

"Oh well, I'm going to get John's stuff, he's moving in with me!" Mary said with excitement, "My place is a bit larger and that way Sherlock can keep Baker Street."

"Does John know about this?" Kylie asked.

"Yeah, it was his idea. He just needs to talk to Sherlock. That's why I'm moving his stuff out now, so he hopefully wont be so abrasive about it."

Kylie was silent on the other line. She knew this was between John and Sherlock, but she couldn't help but feel as if John was abandoning him. She knew that John was entitled to be married and happy, and she knew that he would be over all day everyday with Sherlock, but she knew that Sherlock wouldn't see it that way.

"You think we're terrible don't you?" Mary said sadly.

"No, I don't Mary. I'm happy for you two!"

"Don't think this doesn't eat us up Ky," Mary told her. "I feel guilty as hell for taking John away from Sherlock. You were right, he needs someone. John loves him like a brother and this is the most painful thing he's ever had to do is move out. I told him he should stay until the wedding was over with, but John thinks that that would be too much for him. He hates change, and the slower that the change occurs, the better he can adapt. John feels terrible, I'm assuming that that's why he hasn't said anything yet."

Kylie smiled. She knew that Sherlock treated Mary terribly. Hell, Sherlock hated pretty much anyone new in his life who he hadn't personally allowed in. But because she loved John, she empathized with him. Instead of getting angry, she would let him vent by harassing her. She understood how she was affecting his life, and that was something that Kylie truly admired about Mary.

"You really are a good person Mary," Kylie said smiling, "I'm so happy for you two."

"Thanks Ky," Mary said, "I'll call you later?"

"Yeah, I want to hear all about this proposal!" Kylie told her.

"Oh you'll love it. John went all cheesy for it."

Kylie laughed, "Perfect, I want to harass him about it!"

"Oh, you'll have ammo!"

"Perfect I'll talk to you later!"

"Bye!"

Kylie smiled to herself as she hung up the phone. She really was happy for her friends. They were perfect for each other.

Kylie stood up and checked herself in the mirror, pulling herself together before she walked back out into the FBI.

She popped her head into the conference room, "Hey John, can I talk to you?"

Everyone in the room looked at her, "Yeah," John said standing up and walking towards the door.

"You okay Ky?" Lestrade asked her as they were looking over the files.

"Yeah I'm fine," Kylie said with a smile before ducking out of the room and pulling John with her down the hallway. When they were far enough away, Kylie spun him around and grinned at him.

John looked at her curiously, "What?"

"I just got off the phone with Mary, I think a congratulations is in order," Kylie said smiling.

John rolled his eyes slightly, "Mary wasn't supposed to say anything yet, but thanks."

Kylie hugged him briefly before pulling back to look at him. John had a happy smile on his face, but she could see the worry in his face as well.

"Mary told me you are moving out before you and Sherlock return to Baker Street."

John sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I feel like I'm abandoning him Kylie. I know that I want to get married and live my life, but I can't help but feel as if I'm leaving Sherlock behind."

"Have you talked to him at all about it?"

John just looked at her.

"Yeah, okay," Kylie said, "We both know that Sherlock doesn't do well with talks."

"I mean I hope he'll understand. I'm still going to be at Baker Street all the time, I just won't be living there."

Kylie looked at him, "yeah Sherlock will totally understand the whole love conquers all thing," she commented sarcastically.

"Well he has you back again in his life."

Kylie just stared at John, "Look, I know he can be difficult John, but you are his best friend. Just talk to him. It will take him a little bit, but he'll be happy for you and support you in his own way."

"I know, I just need to talk to him. I just don't know what to tell him."

"The truth, John."

Lestrade's voice floated down the hall way from a few feet away, "Sherlock, what are you doing in the corner?"

"Shit," John said looking at Kylie. Sherlock had followed them and heard the entire conversation. This was not how he wanted him to find out.

"Where are you going?" Lestrade said as Sherlock stormed off down and out of the building before John or Kylie could catch up to him.

**Next chapter will be everything in Sherlock's perspective! I know I haven't been showing his feelings on everything that's happening…sorry!**

**Review? Make my day?**


	18. Chapter 18

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I seriously love you guys! For real, I get so happy when I get a review! I love hearing what you guys think and any ideas you have!**

**Rodger:**** Thanks so much! I really appreciate it! I don't have too many John/Sherlock shippers who read my story, in fact I had one chew me out once because they couldn't read a summary, but I digress. Thanks so much and I'm glad you are enjoying the massive amount of sexual tension. Hahaha, I'm glad at least someone is!  
**

**Jessness31:**** hahaha, that's awesome! I do that all the time! I hope Gibbs wasn't too OoC! He's a tough one to write too!**

**Crimson TigerLily:**** That's a great idea! I most likely will use that! I was toying with an idea similar to it, and now I may do it…I still don't know.. hahaha. But Thanks so much for the idea!**

**Oreal770:**** I think that's how everyone feels…I find myself thinking that most of the time too…and I'm writing the story…**

**ChelGallifreya221B613:**** I'm trying to work on couple's counseling for you! Its just taking me longer. I'll try to get it up this weekend if I can!**

**Margaret:**** Thanks so much! That really means a lot! I'm shocked you finished them all in one night! I cant even read my own chapter let alone a whole story! Glad you are enjoying it though!**

**There'sapennyinmypocket:**** If it was me in Kylie's situation. I WOULD have punched him…and no, you aren't getting sickening **

**GoodWolf1011:**** ….yeah….I am a tease…..and yes! Physics is a bitch! I am on day three of class and I swear to GOD if I have to look at one more electrical field I will kill someone. I took the first part on motion and movement and that was pretty easy for me, but this…sorry, I'm venting. I apologize.**

**A HUGE thanks to Dianalee Holmes, thegirlwiththebrowneyes, animemonkey13, silver eyed slayer, sheepenchanter1, Skywrites, peacetia, superfunkygirl, and Gwilwillith for their reviews also!**

**Also a huge thanks to all of those who wished me luck with physics…I'll need it!**

**Here's the next chapter…it's sappy and mostly rambling…so sorry. My brain doesn't work anymore…**

**Also, I apologize if Sherlock is a little OoC… I really can't tell right now. It's three in the morning and my brain isn't working, so I'm sorry if he is.**

Sherlock walked out the doors of the Hoover building and just walked, and kept walking.

He was in an unfamiliar town; he didn't know the streets like he did in London. He had no idea where to go. He couldn't go back to the hotel, then he'd have John interrogating him with guilt-ridden apologies. No, he needed to think…think about so many things.

John was engaged, he was getting married. He was moving out…and he hid it from him. Why? What did it matter to him that John was going to throw his life away with _marriage_? It didn't! So why on earth was he upset? He wasn't upset….John was his friend….his only friend….

As much as he hated to admit it, he needed John. He had since the case with the woman in pink. What did John call it on that God-awful blog of his? A study in pink?

Sherlock rolled his eyes, he hated that blog, but it had brought him some cases, some very interesting cases.

Sherlock didn't want John to leave Baker Street; he'd be all alone once more. Just like he was before he met John. John was an ever-standing constant in Sherlock's life. He didn't know how to operate with out a constant; he needed one in order to operate at an optimum level. Someone who he could count on, someone he could bounce ideas off of, someone he could talk to, someone to help him… who did he have now that John was moving out of Baker Street?

_You have Kylie…_

Oh God, a whole new topic that needed hours of thinking.

He couldn't have this…not again… The last thing that he needed were these feelings returning. Why were they returning in the first place? He hadn't noticed any activity of that family of butterflies that made a home in his stomach during the three months that Kylie had been out of his life. Interesting time those were, those three months. Sure he had not had the butterflies, electric shock, or warmth spreading throughout his body, but instead he had a gaping pit in his stomach. He didn't know what it was, but that pit had grown into something bigger, it was almost as if a part of him went missing during those three months. That, and an overwhelming…well, he wouldn't really call it sadness… But the weird part was, was that it all went away once he arrived in San Diego. He didn't know if it was a reaction to the different salts of the Pacific Ocean or something else.

Who was he kidding? He was logical enough to put two and two together. The only factor was Kylie. He hadn't felt like this when she had been in London, well he had when he tried to sleep. That's why he tried not to sleep, to avoid that empty, almost lonely feeling that he felt when he laid down in his bed.

He missed her, he hated himself for it, but he missed her. He missed the way she smelled, the way she laughed, the way that she played with her hair when she was thinking… Seeing her here made him realize that he missed her. He didn't know why, he didn't know how, but she was simply remarkable.

He found a park and sat down on a bench. It was a beautiful day. Sunny in the mid-afternoon, and children were playing while the sound of the ocean waves rolled in in the distance. It really was quite relaxing. He wished he could just relax and focus on the murders, that's all he wanted.

_That, and Kylie back in your arms…_

Sherlock rolled his eyes at himself. That wasn't an option for many reasons. One, he didn't do feelings (no matter how much he was beginning to enjoy the warm giddiness). Two, he was going back to London after they caught the Ripper copy-cat. She would most likely stay in San Diego. So was it worth opening himself up again only to be hurt once more really worth it?

…_It's worth it for her…plus, who said you would get hurt?_

He put his head in his hands; he really wished his own brain would shut up. God knows he was getting fed up with his subconscious. He had more points to make, see you can counter those, he taunted his own self-conscious.

_You do realize that you are taunting yourself?_

Yes, I just thought that… God, is my subconscious an idiot. Point number three, Kylie left London because of me, why would she want me back?

Sherlock laughed lightly to himself, his subconscious had apparently agreed with him. He knew he had mistreated her, he had lashed out, seen things and taunted her with things that he shouldn't have. In short, he had been a complete arse to her. He didn't deserve to be taken back, she deserved better.

_Then why does she keep coming back, looking at you like that?_

Sherlock shook his head; he had no answer to that.

_She told you, its because she loves you._

Love, it was such an absurd concept… John was a prime example of the idiocy that occurs due to love. Who in the hell gets married?

Sherlock put his head in his hands once more. He just wanted his mind on the case, his life as he knew it was falling apart piece by piece. First Kylie left, then he gets these crazy thoughts and feelings. Next thing he knew, he's in San Diego with Kylie and the butterflies again, and now John was engaged and moving out. It wasn't like Kylie had already turn his world upside down and confused his enough, and now John was leaving Baker Street, spinning his world on its axis.

He breathed in the air around him, and that's when he smelled it, lavender and vanilla. Kylie… great he was smelling her all the time now. He couldn't deny it though, her smell was intoxicating, it was relaxing. When he had been holding her to his chest, he had felt so at peace, he didn't understand why, but with her in his arms, he felt complete.

"Are you just going to sit like that all day?" Kylie's voice said.

Sherlock's head shot up to see Kylie holding two cups and standing in front of him with a smile on her face.

She handed him a cup, "Coffee," she told him, "Black, two sugars. I thought you could use one…or a scotch... but the stand was fresh out, so this is the next best I could do."

Sherlock chuckled as he accepted the cup gratefully and she sat next to him, smoothing her skirt down.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments, just drinking coffee and lost in their own thoughts.

Kylie felt eyes on her. She turned to see Sherlock staring at her once more. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?"

"Don't you have a date?" Sherlock asked her.

Kylie shrugged, "Not really a date I'm looking forward to. Our online profiles told us we were not that compatible."

Sherlock smirked, "Yeah, it could be a killer date though."

Kylie laughed, "Good, that was good."

"I thought so," Sherlock said before they fell back into a comfortable silence once more.

Sherlock looked at her, it was curious… why had all of his worries, his internal struggles, dissipated when she had sat down with him? How could this woman have such a strange effect?

"John feels terrible you know," Kylie told him, "He was going to tell you, he just didn't know how. He never meant for you to find out this way."

Sherlock looked down and began playing with his cup.

"He cares about you," Kylie told him, "He will still be around all the time, its not like he just wont be living at Baker Street."

"I need someone at Baker Street!" Sherlock told her, "I need someone I can count on 24 hours a day. John will be too domestic to help on cases."

"Oh, come on! Mary gets it! She's a coroner!"

"I need someone there," Sherlock told her, "Someone who I can trust, someone brilliant…" he said trailing off as he looked at her.

Kylie raised an eyebrow at him.

"Move in to Baker Street," he told her.

Kylie's mind went blank.

"I'm sorry?" Kylie gaped at him.

"Move into Baker Street," Sherlock said once more, "Come back to London and move into Baker Street."

Kylie just stared at him.

"So…wait," Kylie said after a moment shaking her head lightly, "let me get this straight, you are asking me to move in with you?"

"Yes, that's what I said now wasn't it?" Sherlock replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You want me to move in with you?"

"Yes, otherwise I wouldn't have asked."

"Be your roommate?"

"Seriously? Can you not hear me?"

"So I would be your ex-girlfriend, and your roommate…?"

"If you are so concerned with titles, then yes."

Kylie sighed and looked down at her coffee, this was so not how she was expecting this conversation to go.

"Will you?" Sherlock asked.

Kylie looked at him, "Yes...No…I don't know. I mean Sherlock we can't live together, there used to be an 'us'. "

"There's still an us," Sherlock told her.

Kylie looked at him, wide-eyed and shocked.

"We are sitting right next to each other. If you speak proper English there will be an us until one of us leaves."

Kylie shut her eyes, "you have literally no idea what I am talking about do you?"

Sherlock looked at her with a slightly confused look.

Kylie smiled at him before laying a hand over his, squeezing it lightly, "I'll think about it," she told him before she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

Sherlock's heart fluttered as her soft lips touched his cheek. She pulled back and stood up, "Well, I'd better be off. I have a date to get ready for," she smiled at him before she turned, "I'll see you later tonight?"

Sherlock nodded and Kylie gave him a small smile before walking back towards the Hoover building.

Sherlock watched her leave as he admired the way the shirt and skirt fitted her.

_Okay, seriously…? What in the hell was he doing?_

This girl really had turned his world upside down.

**Review?**


	19. Chapter 19

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! You guys make me so happy you have no idea! Only way to get a smile on my face when I am studying!**

**A massive thanks to Ahsilaa, Dianalee Holmesfor their reviews as well as:**

**Gwilwillith:**** That they are! And I hope this chapter will give you some hope on that front!**

**Spinner12:**** I laughed when I read this because I had already written the beginning of this chapter. I completely agree with you. Kylie is not the kind of girl to do that.**

**Jessness31:**** Good! :D**

**Superfunkygirl:**** I would love to just give him a hug…wouldn't you?**

**Anon:**** I think you speak for everyone who is reading this story!**

**Thegirlwiththebrowneyes:**** Good luck with schoolwork! That's always the greatest part of the semester…not…**

**Littlefoot the Warrior:**** Thank you my dear!**

**SheepEnchanter1:**** I completely agree with you. I can't wait to see how they do the third season! I heard it's going to be slightly based off the The Empty House, but I wonder if they are going to have John be married. In the story during the time that Sherlock was away, Watson got married and his wife died somehow..I don't remember how… but I'm Super curious to see how they do it! I can't wait. Moffat and Gattiss are freaking Geniuses and always leave me wanting more. I mean the story is good, the acting is wonderful, the actors aren't bad to look at, the characters are accurate to ACD and so is the story line, the cinematography and little bits they throw in are fabulous! It's really the greatest show out there!...I'm rambling… but yes, it is quite amazing and I hope that more people are happy for John! I am!**

**Here is the next part! The date will be the next chapter which I may or may not have up tonight based on how much my ADD kicks in…well its not ADD its more of I don't give a shit about Electric and magnetic fields….**

**Enjoy!**

Kylie walked into her house only to be greeted by an extremely happy Toby.

"Hey bud!" Kylie said to the happy dog. Toby barked with excitement as he wagged his tail so much that his entire bottom half wagged.

"How's my favorite boy?" Kylie asked as she knelt down to rub Toby's ears. Kylie smiled at the dog before she stood up once more and removed her heels.

Today was a long day. First she had been pretty much sexually harassed by a middle-aged man while she was undercover. Then she had come back only to find out that Charlie had told her father about the case and the possibility that she was in danger. This led her to find herself in Sherlock's arms, only to be shoved away by him once more. Though she had heard the happy news that two of her best friends were engaged. This lead to another problem, John moving out…

She felt bad for Sherlock; he was losing one of his best friends. Well, not losing per say, but John was beginning another aspect of his life, pulling him away from Sherlock slightly. He now had Mary, maybe a family in a few years; John was gaining other priorities, other than Sherlock. She knew Sherlock needed someone to live with him. He would never admit it, but he hated talking to just that skull. He pretended he didn't want or need human interaction, but that was how he thrived.

Kylie walked over to the couch and sat down as Toby placed his head in her lap, allowing her to stroke his head. Why on earth had Sherlock asked her to move in with him? Even for him, that was a rash move. Did he just not want to be alone that badly? Or was this his way of asking her to get back together? Somehow she doubted that it was the second.

It would be a horrible idea to move in with him, Kylie knew that. She wasn't just going to move her whole life again for him out of pity for his loneliness; she needed to know that he cared. She sighed, she knew he cared, but she needed to know that he wanted to take the risk to get back together.

_Do you even want to get back together?_

Kylie ran a hand through her hair. She loved him, she really did. She had never met anyone who made her head spin as much as he did. She had never met someone as fascinating, brilliant, and extraordinary as him. She would love to be back together with him, but she really didn't know if that would be the best thing for either of them. She knew that Sherlock's rudeness and abrasiveness was just a coping mechanism, but she deserved to be treated better. She didn't know if she could put up with being pulled in only to be thrown aside once more. If this thing was going to work, she needed to be sure that he wasn't going to do that to her once more.

Her mind went back to the text that she received fro him right before he had faked his death.

**I love you- SH**

She knew that deep down somewhere, he did love her, he had just shoved it away, far away in his mind palace. She knew he was struggling with it. He had only admitted it to her once, and that was when she told him she didn't believe him. She remembered the sincerity in his face; he had practically begged her to listen to him, and for Sherlock, that was rare.

Kylie shut her eyes; he really did love her in his own way. Sherlock Holmes was definitely not your typical man, and she doubted whether or not he actually knew what love was, but she knew that he did love her in his own way, a way that slightly differed from societies view.

Toby saw that she was upset and whined lightly as he nuzzled her.

Kylie smiled down at the dog as he waged his tail. She really did love this little creature. She was glad he had fallen into her life. He made her so happy every time he would just look at her with those big brown eyes.

Kylie bent down and kissed Toby between his eyes when she heard a knock on the door. She looked at the door, slightly confused before she walked over to the door and opened it to find a smiling Irene holding a large shopping bag.

"Hey," Kylie smiled as she let Irene come in, "I wasn't expecting you until later."

"Well, I had to help you get ready," Irene said smiling, "And I picked up some things you may need," she said holding up the bag.

Kylie grinned at her and opened it up, peering inside.

"You want me to wear this?" Kylie asked with a smile, her eyebrows raised.

Irene grinned at her, "Yeah, and you are going to look drop dead gorgeous in it."

**%#$ *7**

"What is taking so long?" Charlie complained as he, Lestrade, and John waited in Kylie's living room for her to emerge.

"You've obviously never lived with a woman before," Lestrade told him.

"Where is Sherlock," John worried as he drummed his fingers on the chair, "it's not like him not to be here right now."

"Stop worrying about him John, he'll get over it," Lestrade said as he picked up a magazine Kylie had lying around.

"Have you met Sherlock? He doesn't do change, this is a huge change! And it's all my fault."

Just then the door opened and Sherlock strolled in.

"Where have you been?" John said jumping up as a worried parent would when their child didn't come home.

Sherlock looked at him strangely before turning to Lestrade and Charlie, "Shouldn't we be leaving soon?"

"Yeah we just have to wait for Princess beauty to get all of her makeup on," Charlie joked as they heard a pair of heels walk down the hallway.

Irene emerged from the hall wearing a smirk, "just wait until you see her."

"Where is she?" Charlie asked, "We need to go over where we are all going to be placed."

"You lot are going in with her?" Irene asked.

"Yeah we are going to be spaced throughout the restaurant to be sure nothing happens to her," Charlie told her.

"I'm going in the restaurant," Sherlock told them.

"No," Charlie said pointedly, "Lestrade and I are going in while you and John stay in the van."

"Am I not coming now?" Irene argued as Sherlock began to become slightly annoyed with the fact that he was staying in the van.

"No, you aren't and don't argue with me on this!" Charlie told Irene and Sherlock.

"You two couldn't spot a criminal in a field of children and you are going to be protecting Kylie? I need to be in there! I'm the only one who can tell who the killer is!" Sherlock argued.

"Lestrade heard his voice!" Charlie argued.

"Sherlock has a point," John said as everyone in the room looked at him in surprise, "Lestrade and Sherlock should go in. They are the only ones who can find this bastard. Plus it may be good to have you ready to run in guns a blazing if need be."

They all stared at John for a moment before Charlie sighed, "Cant you be guilt ridden and make valid points after the case?"

They heard the door close and footsteps coming down the hallway.

"Irene, how on earth did you get my boobs to look like this? I mean seriously I don't think they have ever looked this good!" Kylie said as she was looking down at her chest adjusting everything as she walked out of her room, not knowing that the boys were in the room.

Sherlock felt his heart stop for a moment when he saw her. She looked different, she was stunning, but in a different way. He didn't know how to say it, but she looked breath taking.

She was wearing a tight red dress that hugged her body. It was a very classic looking dress that dipped down showing some, but not too much skin. The dress swooped low on her back leaving the upper part of her back bare. The dress was short, not too short, but shorter than she usually wore her dresses. Her hair was down and curled while she had on lipstick, that matched her dress perfectly.

"Oh, hey," Kylie said as she took note of the men's presence in the room and taking her hands off of herself, "Sorry, you guys ready to go catch a psychopath?"

"Wow," was all Charlie could manage as they all gaped at her.

Kylie raised an eyebrow at him, "Do I look High-class hooker enough?" she asked becoming slightly self-conscious by the looks she was getting.

"You look…sexy as hell," Charlie said looking her up and down approvingly.

John if didn't feel as bad as he did about what had happened earlier that day, he would have had to stifle as laugh as Sherlock's head snapped away from Kylie to glare at Charlie, his fists clenching protectively.

"Thanks," Kylie said as she messed about with her dress once more.

"Stop fussing with it," Irene said shoving her hands away and fixing a few strands of her hair.

"What's the plan?' Kylie asked.

"Right," Charlie said as he pulled earpieces and glasses out of his duffle bag, holding one out for Sherlock to take.

When Sherlock didn't take it, Charlie looked up at him; he was too busy staring at Kylie to notice. Charlie looked at Lestrade, John, and Irene, who were all smirking as Kylie was messing uncomfortably in her dress, completely unaware of the stares.

"Sherlock," Charlie said.

Sherlock jumped slightly as he pulled himself out of his trance, taking the earpiece and glasses immediately.

"Right, so Sherlock and Lestrade will be in the restaurant. Sherlock, you'll be at the bar. Lestrade you will be waiting for your wife to arrive to dine at the table under the name Johnson," Charlie informed them, "Irene, the killer maybe from the modeling agency and your presence will scare them off, so you will be in the van with us."

Irene nodded reluctantly as Sherlock and Lestrade put on the earpieces as Charlie handed Lestrade a pin.

"You'll be wearing this as your eyes and Sherlock will have the video glasses. You two will be on the look out for our perp, any sign of trouble, the word is banana."

Kylie began laughing as everyone gave Charlie a weird look, "Banana? Really Charlie?"

Charlie rolled his eyes, "It's the word alright!" he sighed before continuing, "John, Irene and I will be out in the van a block away. We're your back up, alright?"

Kylie nodded slowly, mentally preparing herself for the task at hand. She could do this.

She felt a hand wrap around her wrist and slowly drag her towards the door, "We're just going to have a quick word," Sherlock told everyone as they walked out front and closed the door behind them.

Everyone in the room looked at each other before Charlie said, "Was the sexual tension always this bad, because even I would like a cold shower right now."

**#%$ ***

"Sherlock? What's going on?" Kylie asked as he stopped walking and turned her so her back was against the side of the house and he was in front of her.

He just looked at her, didn't say anything just looked at her. Kylie looked at him and withheld a groan.

He just had to be wearing that purple shirt with the video cam glasses… Damn, he looked sexy.

"You look stunning," he said quietly as Kylie raised her eyebrows at him.

"Uh…thanks," she said before looking at him skeptically, "but why are we outside?"

"Don't do this," he told her looking her dead in the eyes, "Its not worth the risk."

Kylie sighed and straightened his blazer slightly before she withdrew her hands as if she was afraid to touch him, "We've talked about this, I'll be fine. We need to catch this bastard."

"You don't catch him by just walking into his trap," Sherlock told her, "He's killed every woman he's abducted. He knows how to do it."

"Good thing I'll have you and Lestrade there with me," Kylie said smiling up at him.

Sherlock just kept looking at her with that same serious expression causing her smile to fade, "If he gets you," Sherlock began as he stepped closer to her, "I don't know…"

"I'll be careful Sherlock," Kylie told him softly as she looked up at him. He looked worried, he couldn't even finish his sentence, "Trust me, I'll walk out of this."

Sherlock just looked at her, Kylie's eyes searched his for some sort of reassurance that she would be okay. Instead, Sherlock leaned in as Kylie shut her eyes habitually. His lips met hers softly, but as quickly as they had landed her hers they were gone once more. Kylie's head spun as she opened her eyes only to see Sherlock walking back inside the house.

_Did he just kiss me?_ _Granted it was a peck, but one hell of a peck…_

"Alright we ready?" Charlie said as he unlocked the van and hopped in as everyone else walked out of the house. John stopped and gave Kylie a strange look as her gaze followed Sherlock, who was obviously avoiding her gaze.

"You okay?" John asked her, snapping Kylie back to the real world, "You're out of breath and your cheeks are red."

"Yeah," Kylie said breathlessly as she turned her gaze back to where Sherlock was before he climbed in the van, "Yeah, I'm fine."

…_. At least I think I am…._


	20. Chapter 20

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! You guys are seriously amazing!**

**Also, there is a new chapter of Couple's counseling up! Please check it out!**

**Here's the date! I hope you enjoy!**

"Kylie, seriously are you okay?" John asked once more as they stopped about a block away from the restaurant where the date was supposed to occur.

"Yeah fine," Kylie said, regaining her breath slightly as she pulled her eyes off of Sherlock and faced John.

Sherlock glanced at her for the first time since the kiss. He had been trying to avoid her gaze the entire car ride over. He didn't know what came over him, or why on earth he had kissed her, but all that he knew is that his heart had filled with warmth when his lips had touched hers.

"Alright," Charlie said coming into the back of the van, "Sherlock you are up first."

Sherlock nodded before looking at Kylie. His eyes caught hers as they locked. Kylie saw the worry in his eyes as they stared at each other for a moment before he climbed out of the van, shutting the door behind him.

Kylie sighed and looked down at the floor of the van as Charlie began messing with the computer.

"Alright, Sherlock's glasses are up and running. We have a visual," Charlie said as he looked at everyone else.

"Ky, you alright?" Charlie asked as his eyes fell on Kylie's somber expression.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kylie said snapping her head out of her trance.

Charlie raised an eyebrow at her, "Really because you've been acting weird ever since…."

"I'm fine Charlie, I just have a lot on my mind. Okay? So can you just drop it?" Kylie snapped.

Charlie threw his hands up defensively, "Alright."

The van was silent for a moment as they watched Sherlock sit at the bar and order a drink.

"Guess I'm up," Lestrade said as he climbed out of the van.

Everyone in the van looked at Kylie, who glanced at them with annoyance.

"What?" Kylie said.

"This is going to be dangerous if your head isn't on straight," Charlie told her.

"I'm fine," Kylie said as she opened up the door of the van and climbed out, "I'll see you guys when we get this bastard.

**%#$ *& **

Sherlock swirled the dark liquid his glass as his eyes searched the restaurant. He did not have a good feeling about this right now, and that worried him. Kylie was at risk, in danger. The only plus was that he was in the restaurant to ensure that she would stay safe.

Sherlock glanced at Lestrade who was seated at a table across the room. At least Lestrade was here too. He wished he had both John and Charlie here too, but at least he could prevent Lestrade from doing anything stupid that would endanger Kylie. He guessed having only one person to watch and prevent and ensure they didn't do anything stupid was enough.

The door opened and Kylie walked in. She took his breath away once more; she looked stunning as she talked to the Maître De.

_Why was he having these problems once more? There must be something wrong with his diaphragm if he lost his breath for the second time today._

…_Or it could just be your emotions…._

Sherlock sat there attempting to glare at himself, he needed to stop this, he had a duty to do. He needed to be looking for the killer.

Sherlock surveyed the room as Kylie walked over to the bar. Every head in the room turned to watch her as she made her way confidently across the room. Sherlock could see in her eyes that she was hating every moment under the spotlight, but she was able to play it off as confidence. Kylie perched herself on a barstool a while down the row from Sherlock and ordered a drink.

"Well hello beautiful," a man said with a smile as he approached Kylie, "can I buy you a drink?"

Kylie turned and smiled at him, as she looked him up and down. He was a well-put together man in an expensive suit, extremely expensive by the looks of it. His dark hair was combed and parted neatly.

"No thank you," Kylie replied politely, "I'm waiting for someone."

"I could be that someone," the man said grinning while he looked at the glass Kylie was holding, "What are you drinking gorgeous?"

"Bourbon," Kylie said with a smile.

"A classy woman who drinks bourbon," the man said with a smile, "I think I found my dream woman."

Kylie smiled at him, "Yes, well darling, I highly doubt you could afford me," she said before turning back to the bar.

Realization came over his face as he walked away. Kylie smiled as she took another sip of her drink, which caused Sherlock to smile. She enjoyed chasing men away.

This went on for another forty-five minutes where Kylie had man after man come up to her and she would ask if they were supposed to meet anyone, which everyone replied no. Kylie sighed and looked at the clock on her phone it was 9:45, she was supposed to meet her date at nine. She guessed he was a no show.

Kylie shot a look towards Sherlock and raised her eyebrows when he was staring at a man crossing the room.

"Anna," a voice said from behind her.

…Showtime….

Kylie turned and smiled only to see Harringer standing there behind her.

"Mr. Harringer," Kylie said slightly puzzled, "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"I am so sorry my dear, your date called me and he told me he will unfortunately be unable to make it," he told her apologetically, "You look absolutely ravishing though," he told her as he looked her up and down appreciatively.

"Thank you," Kylie replied.

"He told me to apologize to you profusely and wondered if you could make it tomorrow night?"

"Of course," Kylie said, "I look forward to meeting him."

Harringer smiled at her before typing a few things on his phone, "Now then," he said putting the phone away, "I would hate for you to have a wasted night, so how about you come back to the office with me. I would love to have a drink with you and discuss your career with Becker Modeling agency further."

"Oh I don't know," Kylie said, "It's getting late…"

"Nonsense," Harringer told her, "Actually I know a little place next door that has the best merlot you can get around here."

Kylie groaned to herself, there was no way she could get out of this business drink, could she.

"Alright," Kylie said smiling at him.

"Lovely," Harringer told her as he helped her out of her seat and lead her out of the restaurant.

Sherlock watched them leave and clenched his fists when he saw Harringer place his hand on Kylie's low back, dropping it a little too low down on her back.

Sherlock looked at Lestrade, who caught his eye as they both stood up and began following them.

"Don't let her out of your sight," Charlie told them, "I have a GSP tracker in her shoe, but we can't risk it."

Sherlock saw them as he walked out the door and began following them down the road, Lestrade at his side.

"I'm coming down form the other side," Charlie told them, "John will be running the van. Well catch him in the middle."

**%#$#& ^**

"I thought you said it was next door," Kylie said as she began to become wary of the situation.

"I forgot," Harringer told her, "they moved down the block a little, I hope you don't mind walking. It's a beautiful night."

Kylie looked around, there were people everywhere, cheering and yelling in the streets.

"American football championships," Harringer told her, "The Chargers are going to the superbowl."

The farther down the street they went, the more dense and rowdy the street tended to get.

"Its not much further," Harringer told her, sensing her unease.

**%#$ **

"Where in the hell are they going?" Lestrade muttered to Sherlock.

Sherlock shrugged as he walked faster to try to close the gap slightly between them. Lestrade and Sherlock were about 100 yards away from them. They saw Harringer and Kylie stop outside of a restaurant. Harringer opened the door and urged Kylie inside.

Sherlock sighed with relief slightly; at least she was going into a public place.

Lestrade and Sherlock approached the restaurant as they saw Charlie walk up; they opened the door and walked in. Sherlock looked around for any sign of Harringer and Kylie, when his heart dropped into his stomach.

"Where are they?" Charlie asked, "I saw them walk in here not two seconds ago."

Sherlock looked around, the kitchen door was swinging slightly. Sherlock began to run through the restaurant followed closely by Charlie and Lestrade as the waiters began yelling at them. Ignoring their cries they ran into the kitchen only to see a mess. It looked as if someone had thrown things off the shelves. Lestrade stopped and looked around as Charlie and Sherlock raced out the only other door and into the alleyway, praying that Kylie was still there.

Sherlock felt his heart and brain and every other organ in his body drop into his stomach when he saw writing on the wall.

**REDRUM**

Charlie stopped in silence next to him.

"That son of a bitch has her," Charlie whispered, "But Kylie can fight, she would have fought back. It doesn't make sense."

"You may want to see this,"Lestrade said as he walked out into the alleyway holding something in a handkerchief.

He pulled it back to expose a syringe, "The son of a bitch drugged her, that's why the kitchen was a mess. She fought back the best she could, but the bastard has her."

"YOU THINK!" Sherlock said angrily. That bastard had her, and he was going to get that son of a bitch, if it was the last thing he did.

**Review?**


	21. Chapter 21

**Wow, Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! You guys are seriously amazing! For real, I am in awe of how many people are into this story!**

**Thegirlwiththebrowneyes:**** hahaha, you weren't expecting that? Sorry to upset you! And you will see….shifty eyes…**

**RhythmicSound:**** Thanks so much! I'm glad you are enjoying it! And thanks for saying that about Sherlock, I worry about whether or not he is OOC all of the time. He's hard to write!**

**GoodWolf1011:**** Thanks so much! And Honestly, not really… I know a few people who I could make the killer, but honestly I was originally going to have it be a doctor, then I developed Harringer and got to thinking…. And it just happens. I have a sort of overall picture of the story and small plot lines, but I just kind of write it as I go….hahaha It would be cool if I planned this entire thing down to the T. **

**A huge thanks to Superfunkygirl, Oreal770, spinner12, CrimsionTigerLily, animemonkey12, Peacetia, Ahsilaa, ChelGallifreya221B613, Rodger, and Gwilwillth also for their reviews.**

**Sorry it is short! I will try to have another up later. It all depends on how much physics I get done…..yay…..**

Everything was dark.

It was pitch black all around her.

She could feel something moving. No, wait….she was moving. How was she moving?

Everything was fuzzy, her mind was a blur. How did she get like this?

Kylie opened her eyes. She was on a bed in a dark, metal room. There was a chair in the corner and a metal table next to it. The room seemed to be bobbing up and down, but she couldn't tell if that was actually happening, or just within her drug addled mind.

How in the hell did she get here?

She tried to move her arms only to find that they had been bound tightly, along with her legs.

"No," Kylie whispered to herself as she began to freak out quietly, the memory of the last time she had woken up bound to an object coming to the surface.

Kylie tried to push the memory back down and search her mind for how she had gotten here.

_She had been walking with Harringer. She kept trying to get out of the situation, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. She had to keep her cover, she needed him to get her to the killer. _

_That bad feeling seem to grow as they stopped outside of the restaurant. _

"_Here we are," Harringer had said as he opened the door and put a hand on her back, pushing her inside. _

"_Lets go out on the patio shall we?" he said as he gave her a nudge forward, "Its just through the kitchen."  
_

"_Hello Mr. Harringer," the waiter told them, "Good to have you back sir."_

"_Thank you Mark," Harringer told him as they walked towards the kitchen._

_Kylie remembered being slightly relieved that the waiter knew him and was not fussing at them for walking towards and through the kitchen. _

_Kylie reached the kitchen door as he phone went off. She pulled it out to see she had a text from Irene._

_It's Harringer. Get out._

_Kylie hid her phone from view and went to turn went she felt a needle enter her neck. She flailed as best she could to get him off of her, even got in a good knee shot to his groin. _

_Harringer doubled over in pain as Kylie then tried to punch him, but due to the drugs now kicking into her system she missed. She was seeing double. She tried to turn and run for it, grabbing on to everything that she could in support as she felt blackness begin to surround her. _

_Kylie felt someone pick her up and toss her in the back of a car before everything went completely black once more._

Kylie looked at her bindings, they were soft but think and strong, almost like a silk cord.

….that makes sense, he wants it to seem as if he never bound me. The ripper never did that.

The door opened and Harringer walked in holding what looked like a duffle bag. A grin was plastered on his face as he set the bag down.

"Well hello Dr. Gibbs," Harringer said with a smile.

Kylie looked at him in surprise before Harringer rolled his eyes.

"Don't be surprised that I know your name," he told her, "We met a few years ago. Don't you remember?"

Kylie racked her brain, nothing that she could think of.

"You and that boyfriend of yours were on vacation in Cabo," Harringer began, smiling.

Then it all clicked. Thomas…he knew Thomas.

Thomas had taken her to Cabo a year before they had broken up. He had already begun acting strange, and as far as she knew, he had still been working for the CIA. They had been out by the pool when Harringer (though she doubted that was his name) approached Thomas and whisked him off on some "business", leaving Kylie by the pool bar. Thomas had returned later that night and made it up to her, but Kylie never really understood where they went in the first place.

"You're one of Thomas's CIA associates," Kylie told him.

"You could say that," Harringer said with a smile as he placed the duffle bag on the table and unzipped it.

"You worked together in Cabo."

"And Russia before that," Harringer told her with a smile.

Kylie froze, It all made sense now. Russia is where Moriarty recruited Thomas, it would only make sense that that is where Harringer met him too.

"We were working an operation, a deep cover for the CIA. Thomas was posed as a weapons dealer and I was posed as a doctor for the Russian mafia family. You could say it was love at first sight."

"That's where you met the consulting criminal, and the three of you went into business together."

"No," Harringer said shaking his head, "No, you see I was a good little boy. I kept my nose clean until Thomas overtook that bastard."

"Moriarty gave him the franchise," Kylie corrected him.

Harringer laughed, "oh aren't you adorable, you think that the world works all nice and neat."

"Moriarty was smarter than you think, he was smarter than Thomas," Kylie told him.

"OH you really are adorable," Harringer laughed as he looked at her, "And really quite beautiful, too bad I'm going to have to slit that pretty little throat of yours."

"Why me?" Kylie asked, "You kill women who prostitute themselves, I didn't."

"You were going to," Harringer said.

"It was a cover to find you, you sick son of a bitch!" Kylie spat at him.

"You left Thomas and started banging Sherlock Holmes only a little while after. Didn't take you long to move on, you slut."

"You know nothing about me," Kylie told him.

Harringer pulled out a knife and turned towards her, "Oh sweetheart, Thomas told me all about you."

**%#$*#&**

Sherlock paced outside the open door of the van while everyone else was inside. He couldn't sit still, he couldn't just sit. He needed to think, he needed to find her.

"Harringer, it's a cover name," Charlie said as he looked him up on the computer, "he has a whole life story. Birth certificate, school registration, everything. This cover is good, too good," Charlie muttered before it all clicked into place.

"He said he was old friends with Thomas right?" Charlie asked.

"Yes, he did used to be CIA," Sherlock said as he paced, "That was rather obvious and already established, moving on."

Everyone just looked at him for a moment before Charlie turned back to the screen and picked up the phone.

"Let me call my source at the CIA and I'll have this busted," Charlie said as he went to the front of the van to make the call.

"I don't get it," John said, "We were looking for a medical man, how on earth did he have that knowledge, let alone get ahold of the ketamine?"

Lestrade shrugged and shook his head as Irene stared at the ground. John glanced at Sherlock, he had never really seen him this wired before. Sure, he had been really wired when Kylie had been kidnapped before, but he was focused. He knew he had to play the game with Moriarty, he had a plan.

This was different though, the man who took her, they knew nothing about. No idea of his history, his true personality, nothing.

John saw the worry on his friends face, though he was most likely the only one who did. Sherlock hid it well, but John knew he was scared to death that something would happen to Kylie. John felt the same way, but for Sherlock to be frightened for someone's well being, it meant the situation looked pretty grim.

John wanted to comfort him, let him know that it would all be okay, that they would get to Kylie in time. But John knew that he could not promise that.

"Alright, my source told me that Harringer was a cover the CIA developed for him in the late 90's when he was going deep undercover in Russia," Charlie began as he walked down to the back of the van once more.

Everyone was startled when they heard Sherlock hit the back of the van, "Of course, that's where he met Thomas and Moriarty. Establishing the connection between the them. Connecting them all together in a criminal web of sorts…" Sherlock trailed off and began pacing once more as Charlie looked at everyone else in the van.

"What's he going on about?"

"He just does that sometimes," John said dismissing Sherlock's strange behavior.

Charlie gave him a strange look before continuing, "Turns out Harringer's real name is Nathan Dawson. He was Dr. Harringer to the Russian mob."

"His cover was a doctor, giving him the medical knowledge that he needed," John said.

"Not to mention the murder weapon," Charlie told them, "He had medical tools, he most likely had a surgical knife, not to mention that the Russian mob's favorite way to kill is to slit the throat with a Barber's blade."

Charlie began typing into the computer, "Dawson's mother was arrested 32 times for prostitution and Dawson himself was put into foster care multiple times."

"God knows that would drive anyone to kill," Lestrade commented.

Charlie began typing some more and tried to come up with anything and everything he could on Harringer.

"It looks like he dropped almost everything to do with Nathan Dawson, but he does have an apartment on Grand Street," Charlie said as he climbed back up into the drivers seat.

Sherlock hopped in the van and shut the door as they drove off, hoping that they would find Kylie, or at least a clue to where she was.

**Review?**


	22. Chapter 22

**Thanks so much to all of those who reviewed! I seriously love you guys!**

**Here's the next chapter! I couldn't resist writing it! I'm super stoked to write these next few chapters, so get ready…because its gonna be a ride, and an unexpected one at that. **

**Oh, and get ready to hate me…..**

**Enjoy!**

"There's nothing here," Charlie said in frustration as they looked around the apartment.

Sherlock was on Harringer's laptop, searching furiously while Irene sat on the couch and John, Charlie, and Lestrade poked around the apartment.

"It has to be here!" Charlie said.

"You can't trace her cell phone?" John asked.

"He's smart. He smashed the GSP tracker, along with the one in her shoe," Charlie told them as he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

John glanced at Irene, who was staring off into space and then down at her hands before crossing the room and looking over Sherlock's shoulder.

"Find anything in his search history?" Charlie asked while digging around in the closet.

Sherlock slammed his hands down on the desk in frustration causing everyone in the room to jump.

John looked at him, usually when he threw fits like this he began ranting on and on about something. But right now, he just remained silent, staring at the screen as he breathed heavily. John knew Sherlock was at a loss of what to do, he had literally nothing to go on, less than what he usually did. The killer changed his location, his victims, they way he found his victims, everything. He had literally nothing, and everything in his life was at risk.

John put a hand on Sherlock's shoulder before walking into Harringer's bedroom to look for more evidence.

"We'll find her," Charlie told Sherlock before turning and looking through Harringer's mail.

Sherlock took a deep breath before he began hacking even deeper into Harringer's computer.

Charlie stopped and stood up looking at a letter Harringer had stashed away, "Wow, he really is a douche bag, he just got a membership to yacht club monthly,"

Sherlock's head snapped towards him, "Say that again."

Charlie furrowed his eyebrows at him, "He just got a membership to yacht club monthly?"

Sherlock turned back to the computer and began typing wildly, "A yacht, a boat, a ship. Oh, it all makes sense now. Of course."

"You know where she is?" Charlie said rushing over to the screen.

"Oh its so obvious now," Sherlock said pulling up his email and Internet search history.

"How is it obvious?" Lestrade asked, "It's a rich guy who likes to spend millions on a boat?"

"A boat," Sherlock said looking at him, "He has her on a boat don't you see?"

"Just because he has a membership to a magazine?" Charlie asked.

Sherlock groaned impatiently, "No! Don't you see! Harringer has been trying to establish a false identity, which means getting rid of pretty much everything that he knew from his time in the CIA. And yet he is looking into boats?"

"Yeah…still don't get it…" Lestrade said.

"Wait," Charlie said thinking, "The Russian mob killed most of their victims on fishing boats and dumped the blood and body into the ocean."

Sherlock looked at him, the guy was smarter than he thought.

"Exactly, and look at his search history," Sherlock said.

Charlie and Lestrade leaned in looking closely at the screen, "Yeah , so he looked at marina, probably for his new expensive boat."

"Yeah, but that specific marina, isn't a high class one in which you would think Harringer would go to. It's near a shipping yard," Charlie said smiling as John walked in the room.

"You find her?" John asked as they all got up to leave.

"Yeah, we think she's on a boat," Charlie said pulling out his phone and calling it in.

Lestrade stopped and looked around as they were heading out, "Where's Irene?"

**%#$* &**

Kylie froze as she saw Harringer slowly begin to approach her with the knife.

"Don't you touch me you jack ass," Kylie said as she began to fight against her restraints.

"Oh," Harringer said with a crazy smile on his face, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Thomas told me you like to play Kales."

"Don't call me that," Kylie said working on the knot on her right hand as he approached.

"I'll call you whatever I want," Harringer said as he wiped the cold blade up her face, dragging it lightly over her skin, leaving a small trail of blood as it went.

"That's why you are here. You're just a whore, you have to do what I want," Harringer told her.

"Is that why you killed your models?" Kylie asked, "They just wanted a job, you forced them into this type of life. Told them that it would help them get the job."

"They were sluts," Harringer told her as he swiped the knife over her shoulder, cutting a strap of the dress and her shoulder with one swipe, "They were just asking for it."

"What happened to you?" Kylie asked as Harringer just looked her up and down. She almost had the knot undone, she just needed to buy more time. "You used to be a product of society, a fairy tale ending to horror of a childhood. You did good for your country."

"THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS GOOD IN THIS COUNTRY!" Harringer yelled putting his knife through Kylie's left shoulder. Kylie bit her lip to keep from screaming in pain as the knife stuck in her shoulder.

"I spied and fought for six years of my life, for what?" Harringer asked her, "So that more people can die because of whores like you?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Kylie asked through gritted teeth.

"This world, this whole dark world, is run off of sex, money, and power. Sex drives all of the violence, dirt and filth in this world. That's why people are killed, over sluts like you."

"What changed you? Why did you switch so fast? You can be charming?" Kylie said

…almost there….

Harringer laughed as he pulled the knife out of her shoulder, "All thanks to the CIA. At least they were good for something.

Then Kylie heard it footsteps up to the door. Someone was here, someone was coming. Harringer froze, he heard it too.

He turned as the door opened and Irene walked in.

Kylie froze, Irene looked as if she was about to cry as she held a small black bag.

"Irene, get out of here! Run!" Kylie yelled at her. Why did she come here? She was the one who told her it was Harringer in the first place.

"Oh Miss Adler, thank you for joining us," Harringer said as he turned around.

Irene couldn't take her eyes off of Kylie as she began to shake, holding out the small black bag.

"Here's the rest of the Ketamine. I was able to sneak it out of your apartment before they found it," Irene said in a soft voice.

"Good girl," Harringer said as he took the bag from her, "Who knew a dominatrix would be so good at being submissive?" Harringer paused as her trailed a finger up her neck, "But that's what I told you to do."

Irene looked at Kylie, her eyes pleading her for help, for forgiveness.

Kylie just looked at her gaping as she tried to make quick work of the rope on her right hand, "You were helping him?"

Irene looked at her, "It was either me, or you."

Harringer smiled, "Thank you my dear, your duty is through."

Irene gave her one last glance before walking off of the ship.

Kylie felt the aftermath of betrayal and hurt run through her veins. She had finally forgiven Irene, and trusted her. And this is what happened!

Harringer turned back to Kylie and picked up the knife once more, "Now, where should we begin?" he asked.

Kylie felt the rope slip and waited for her opportunity as Harringer approached her. Harringer raised the knife as Kylie saw her chance. She swung her fist as hard as she could at him, knocking the knife from his hands.

"BITCH!" Harringer yelled at her as she lunged to untie her other arm as Harringer's fists connected with her face, knocking her head back against the corner of the bed, creating a gash in her head.

Kylie tried to sit up as she felt dizzy as his hands went around her throat, cutting off her air supply. Suddenly, Harringer screamed and let go as he fell to the floor and off of the bed. Kylie turned to see Irene standing there before she began untying Kylie's restraints.

"Come on dear, we don't have much time," Irene said.

Kylie looked at her for a moment before untying her left hand.

While untying herself, Kylie blinked multiple times, she was seeing double once more. She must have a concussion…

She tried her hardest to focus when she noticed some movement on the floor.

"IRENE!" Kylie yelled but it was too late. Harringer had sat up and shoved a knife through Irene's stomach. Kylie watched in horror as Irene fell to the floor dead.

Kylie blinked and tried to focus, she couldn't see clearly, everything in the room was spinning. Harringer began to pull himself up as he pulled the knife from Irene's lifeless body. Kylie tugged furiously at her last restraint, the damn knot wasn't coming undone as Harringer came at her once more.

Kylie kicked him, landing a foot near his chest, knocking him to the floor as she heard footsteps rushing down the hallway before the door burst open.

"FBI!" she heard Charlie yell as the room began spinning wildly.

"Kylie!" she heard a familiar voice say. She couldn't see faces now, just shapes. She really must have bashed her head.

"Kylie," The voice said again as the smell of clean soap came over her as strong hands cradled her.

"Jesus, is that Irene?" She heard another voice ask.

"Help her," Kylie said quietly, "She saved my life."

"Kylie, stay awake. Just stay awake." The voice holding her said as a hand stroked her head before it pulled away from the stinging head wound.

"Where are the medics?" the same voice yelled before Kylie shut her eyes and everything went black once more.

**So I pretty much hate killing off characters, but I felt that it was needed for this story. Irene redeemed herself in the end. She is by far not my favorite character, but I do feel that she is a better person than to just walk away and let Kylie die. I know I wrote her that way to start out with, but after watching Scandal a few more times (I hadn't seen it in a while) I realized that she was a good person deep down. So sorry to all of you who hate me right now. **

**Review?**


	23. Chapter 23

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I seriously love you guys! I have tons of stuff to do, so I can't take the time to thank you individually but I will send a virtual thank you cookie to each and every one of you!  
**

**So, as some of you were asking, yes that was Sherlock holding her at the end of the last chapter! **

**Also, the only reason that I did kill Irene was that I felt it was the only way that she could truly redeem herself. If she had lived, there still would have been the drama of betrayal so for the sake of the story, she died. Sorry.**

**Here's a small, sort of pointless chapter, but it had to be done!**

Sherlock sat in the hospital next to Kylie's bed as he stared at her, praying that she would wake up soon. Granted the doctors had told them that her injuries were not that bad. Well, if you call a stab wound to her shoulder not that bad. The only thing that the doctors were worried about was her concussion. John had told him that the concussion she had was about as bad as concussions get. It had been almost 24 hours since they arrived at the hospital and she still hadn't woken up.

Sherlock thought back to when he had walked onto that boat. It was a miracle that they had gotten there in time. They had arrived at the marina and begun to look wildly for them, it was only when they heard Kylie scream Irene's name that they found the boat that they were on. If they had only gotten there sooner, maybe Irene would still be alive.

He felt bad; bad for the fact that when they initially arrived on board, his worry for Kylie had usurped the fact that Irene had died. He didn't do feelings in the first place, but the fact that his heart had dropped into his stomach and blood pressure elevated substantially when he saw Kylie bloody, half-conscious, and tied to the bed scared him. It had scared him more than anything he ever imagined. Sherlock Holmes had stood up criminal masterminds, psychopaths, mass-murders, and pretty much anything else you could imagine, but the sight of the woman that he loved hurt was much scarier.

Sherlock froze…. did he really just think that? 'The woman that I love'?

Granted this had all started up again when he had first laid eyes on Kylie again in the airport, but really love?

Love was a despicable word. Love was a dangerous disadvantage, he knew that. Irene was the pure example of that. That was how he was able to beat her, crack the code on her camera phone. Love hazed things, made judgment poor, allowed emotions in; then why did it feel so damn good to have her next to him again?

Sherlock didn't understand it; John had tried to explain it to him many times, but then stopped after Sherlock would just humiliate him by reading his emails to Mary out loud. John told him that he loved Kylie, but Sherlock knew he was stronger than that, better than that.

He looked at Kylie's unconscious body lying on the bed next to where he was seated. She moved a little, throwing a few strands of hair in her face. Sherlock felt himself smile slightly before brushing them out of the way. He was smiling, why in the hell was he smiling?

"She's waking up," John said looking at the monitors from his chair across from Sherlock.

Kylie squirmed a little more as consciousness began to overtake her body.

"Kylie," Sherlock said softly. Why on earth was he holding her hand? And why was his heart racing?

Kylie's eyes fluttered open as Sherlock gently brushed some more hair out of her face.

Her eyes fell on him for a moment before she smiled weakly, "Hey," she said quietly.

Sherlock grinned at her slightly, "How are you feeling?"

Kylie shut her eyes for a moment, "Better than the last time I woke up in a hospital bed. At least you are here and not off faking your death," Kylie laughed.

John laughed, "Good to see you are awake Ky."

Kylie looked between the two of them before all of the memories of how she got there in the first place came flooding back. Kylie looked down at her arm; her right wrist was bandaged from the cuts she had sustained trying to escape while her left was in a sling. Kylie sat up wincing while both Sherlock and John lunged at her to try to prevent her from sitting up too quickly.

Kylie's head spun a little before throbbing as she winced sitting up. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She had a massive bruise around her eye with a cut running down her cheek. The doctors had steri-stripped it shut, but that didn't help it look any better.

Kylie sighed before another fact of the incident hit her. She turned to Sherlock, "Irene," Kylie asked dreading the answer, "Did she…?"

Sherlock was silent; he just stared at her blankly.

"She didn't make it," John said quietly.

Kylie looked down for a moment, "She saved my life," she told them. "She was working for Harringer. She brought him the ketamine and told me he had given her the choice of killing me, or killing her. She made her choice and essentially helped us to help him. She left, walked off the boat, I thought she had left me to die, but she came back. Saved my life, tried to help me escape."

Kylie felt a few tears run down her face as a large hand covered hers. Kylie looked at her hand and saw Sherlock's. She squeezed it lightly before looking at him.

"I'm so sorry Sherlock. I know you really cared for her," Kylie told him.

Sherlock just stared blankly at her. She gave his hand another squeeze before Kylie turned to John, "Has her next of kin been contacted?"

John smiled at her slightly, "Charlie and Lestrade are trying to track it down right now."

Just as if they had been waiting for a queue, Charlie and Lestrade entered the hospital room.

"Well, look who decided to join the living once more?" Charlie joked smiling slightly.

Kylie smiled weakly at him as he came over and kissed her cheek. Lestrade did the same before pulling back and smiling at her, "Good to see you are awake."

"Thanks guys," Kylie said before looking at Charlie expectantly.

"Did you find Irene's next of kin?" she asked.

"Irene doesn't have any family, but we were able to get a hold of her PA, Kate," Lestrade told them, "She's on her way down here."

Kylie nodded slightly, "And Harringer?"

"Being held in the FBI right now," Charlie said before plopping in a chair next to John, "I still can't believe it was him."

Kylie smiled lightly, "You never do."

"The one thing I don't get though," Lestrade said as he leaned up against the wall, "Is that, that was not the voice I heard on the phone."

All heads in the room immediately turned to him, "What do you mean?" John asked, "Harringer wasn't the one to call you?"

Lestrade nodded, "I'm pretty good with voices, and that wasn't him." He thought for a moment, "Though it did sound vaguely familiar."

Kylie looked at him for a moment before it clicked for her…. Son of a bitch…she knew who it was.

"We have another killer out there?" Charlie asked.

"I doubt it guys," Kylie said, "I don't think the caller will kill."

"You know who it is?" Sherlock asked, slightly shocked she had figured out something quicker than he had.

"Yeah, its just a prank caller. Someone at the FBI who overheard it."

"Who?" Charlie asked his face extremely confused.

"Uh…" Kylie said trying to think quickly of someone to make up. She really didn't need Sherlock throwing a fit about the caller's true identity, "Young in forensics."

"Young isn't…" Charlie began before Kylie glared at him and he shut his mouth, "Oh, yeah Young! I totally forgot about how British he is."

Everyone in the room stared at him when there was a knock on the door.

Charlie's phone beeped and he stood up, "I gotta take this," he said before looking at Kylie as he headed towards the door, "Oh and this maybe a good time to tell you because I'm leaving, but Hastings is going to murder you when you go in, and I called your Dad."

"You WHAT?" Kylie said as her eyes went wide.

"Gotta go, bye!" Charlie said as he left the room.

"CHARLIE!" Kylie said as the door shut.

Lestrade raised his eyebrows at her as she dropped Sherlock's hand to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"I take it, that's not a good thing?"

"Not if you don't want my Dad going on a homicidal rampage after he murders me for going undercover in the first place."

"Is this a bad time?"

Everyone in the room turned to see Mycroft standing in the doorway, Holding his umbrella and smiling.

"What are you doing here?" Sherlock said in an outrage.

"Business with the US navy," Mycroft informed him, "Not anything that we need to discuss. Glad to see you are awake Kylie."

Kylie smiled and raised an eyebrow at him. He never called her Kylie…ever….

"Thank you Mycroft," Kylie said smiling at him.

"I've arranged for Miss Adler's body to be transported back to London if need be," he told them.

Sherlock just kept glaring at him, "What's the real reason that you are here brother?"

Mycroft smiled at him, "I heard the unfortunate news about Miss Adler and that Kylie was here in the hospital so I came to see how she was doing?"

"Since when do you call her Kylie?" Sherlock argued as he began to get protective, for what reason Kylie didn't know.

Kylie saw John smirk out of the corner of her eye as she grabbed Sherlock's hand, forcing him to relax slightly.

Kylie smiled at him, "Sherlock, why don't you go to the hotel, shower and eat something. God knows you haven't eaten in days."

Sherlock looked at her as if refusing to leave.

"I'll still be here when you get back. No offence but you lot look like crap."

John laughed slightly as he stood up, "Look who's calling the kettle black!" John looked at Sherlock who was still rooted to his seat, "Come one Sherlock, she's right. We'll be back in an hour."

Sherlock stood up, looking as if it pained him before he let go of her hand and left the room quietly.

It was just her and Mycroft now as she turned to smile at him.

"You rat bastard," Kylie told him with a smile on her face, "You are the one who called Lestrade."

"I don't know what you are talking about," Mycroft said with feigned innocence.

Kylie looked at him, "You were the one who showed up at my office, trying to get me to reestablish contact with Sherlock. When I refused, you saw that we had reopened the Ripper case and saw your chance. Let me guess, you tapped my phone lines? And heard me ask to not have Sherlock involved? Now this is the part I don't get, how did you prevent Lestrade from knowing it was you? Did you have one of your lower level flunkies do it as you told them what to say?"

Mycroft smiled at her, "you really are clever aren't you?"

Kylie smiled at him, "You really want us to get back together don't you? That's why you came to my office. You knew that John was moving out, but it just wasn't about that."

Mycroft smiled at her before looking down at his umbrella, "You make my brother genuinely happy. You are one of the only people who can save him from himself."

Kylie smiled at him. Sherlock despised his brother for some reason that Kylie had no clue of. Kylie had always thought that Mycroft had other agendas other than actually helping Sherlock, but this made her think otherwise.

"Are you considering moving back to London?" he asked.

…. And back to his agenda….

"Sherlock asked me to move into Baker Street," Kylie told him quietly.

That one even shocked Mycroft. Kylie laughed slightly at the shocked expression on his face.

"Yeah, I know," she said, "That's about the same look I had on my face when he asked me."

"So are the two of you…"

Kylie shook her head, "We're not back together. I think he just asked me so that he wouldn't be alone."

"I can tell you that that is not the case," Mycroft told her with a smile.

"Well I believe it is Mycroft. I really don't think that things will be the same as they were before ever again. Truthfully, as much as I love him, I don't think I can go through the pain of him pulling away ever again. Plus I am not just going to drop the life I have here. I like it here in the states."

Mycroft just looked at her, "My brother is very particular in who he chooses to be around him. He has four people in his contact book. John, Lestrade, you; and myself that is it. The fact that he is still here after the case and holding your hand should tell you that things have changed. You are more clever than that Kylie."

_Don't forget the fact that he kissed you…_

Kylie's heart fluttered at the memory, causing the heart monitor to flutter and Mycroft to smirk.

"Though he may not admit it, my brother has allowed you to enter his life and he cares for you deeply," he told her as he stood up and made to leave, "You have a much bigger effect on him than you think."

And with that, Mycroft left the room, leaving Kylie alone and more confused about her life than ever.

**I know, I think I didn't get Mycroft right…**

**Review? Please?**


	24. Chapter 24

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I really didn't think that I would be able to get a chapter up today, but turns out if you have to work at 6 in the morning, you get a lot of stuff done later on in the day!**

**Superfunkygirl:**** that sucks! I hope you feel better soon!**

**Here is the next chapter!**

**Enjoy!**

Kylie sat alone in her room as an internal debate raged wildly.

Her conversation with Mycroft confused her even more. Kylie had been on the fence about moving in with Sherlock before, but now she was just confused. She would love to get back together with him, but moving in together? She highly doubted that Sherlock even thought about the meaning behind it. I mean they were broken up and he asked her to move in with him? Seriously? His ex-girlfriend moving in with him, when they had no romantic relationship?

Kylie sighed and ran her good hand through her hair. She still loved the man, that was obvious, but the question was…was it worth it? Kylie had left London to begin with because no matter how much she apologized, or put up with it, Sherlock had been abrasive, rude and intolerable. Most people would argue that that was Sherlock Holmes' default setting. Kylie knew that wasn't true, she had seen the tender side of the man. If you were lucky enough to be invited into his world, you actually got to see what a truly good person he was. Kylie knew that, but once they had broken up he had become awkward and then suddenly became rude. Truthfully he treated her like shit. She took it willingly for a while, but she knew she had deserved better than that. She made a mistake, but he had crossed the line. He began making comments that hurt her. He said rude things all the time, but when he wanted to hurt you, he knew right exactly where to push.

Kylie was glad she moved here to San Diego. It really had been the best decision that she had made. Though it had hurt the first few months, it had really helped her to begin to get over him.

…_Are you really over him?_

Kylie knew the answer to that. She had been getting over him, slowly…. very slowly, until he came waltzing back into her life all thanks to Mycroft.

Once she had laid eyes on him, her feelings had returned with the force of a crashing train. They came flooding back like a tsunami. She couldn't help it. She had tried to remember that it was over between them, but then Sherlock had held her hand, held her to his chest, tried to protect her, kissed her…

She knew that he was complicated, but she was getting mixed signals. He had been holding her tight then dropped her like she was contaminated and threw her aside, only to ask her to move in with her.

She had no idea why he had asked her. She doubted he was having feelings for her again. She thought it was just because John was moving out.

_That kiss though…._

Kylie groaned slightly to herself. That kiss had been amazing.

_Then move in with him…_

He most likely wasn't serious. It was a moment of panic. That's all it was…

Kylie settled on the answer as she heard yelling coming from down the hallway.

"SIR! You cant go in there!" a nurse yelled as the door burst open.

Kylie suppressed a groan as her father and Tony entered the room looking murderous.

"What in the HELL were you thinking Kyleigha?" her dad half yelled as the nurse came in the room after them.

Kylie smiled at her apologetically and waved her off as she shut the door behind her.

"I'm fine Dad," Kylie said as she cringed slightly sitting up.

"Really Kylie? Because you look like crap?" her father told her, as he looked her over.

"Why in the hell would you walk into a date with a serial killer who is targeting you?" Tony asked as he crossed his arms in front of him.

"We caught him," Kylie said opening her jello and taking a bite, "That's all that should matter."

"You could have gotten yourself or someone else on your team killed," her father chewed her out, "Use your head Kylie didn't I teach you anything?"

Kylie paused and kept looking at her jello sadly. Her father and Tony stopped.

"What happened?" Tony asked quietly.

"A woman died saving my life," Kylie said quietly as she played with her jello.

A silence over came the room.

"At least the Ripper can't hurt anyone else," Kylie said as she took a small bite of the jello.

Gibbs sighed as he sat in the chair next to her, "Putting yourself in danger is not worth it. There are other ways to catch scumbags."

"It was our only option Dad," Kylie told him.

"You mean that Charlie and that boyfriend of yours told you to do it," Gibbs growled.

"Dad, I did it on my own accord," Kylie told him, "And don't threaten either of them please."

Tony opened his mouth to say something before Kylie pointed a finger at him, "Don't you threaten them either. I am an adult, I can take care of myself."

"Kylie we brought you…" John began as he and Sherlock entered the hospital room before they both stopped, slightly surprised at the fact that Gibbs and Tony were already sitting in the room.

"Oh hello," John said walking over to them and extending his hand, "Good to see you again."

Tony smiled vaguely at John as he shook his hand and then returned to glaring daggers at Sherlock.

Her father on the other hand, stood up immediately and walked towards the door.

"You," he said to Sherlock as he walked past him, "Come on."

"Dad!" Kylie argued, but he was already out the door.

Sherlock gave her a blank stare before following her father out the door and around the corner to the vending machine where he was getting coffee.

Sherlock stopped next to him and watched as the older man insert the coins and wait for the coffee to fill. He just stood there silently as he waited for Gibbs to speak.

He turned and looked at the younger man as steely blue met steely blue in a harsh glare.

"I thought we had an understanding," Gibbs told him quietly.

Sherlock just stared blankly at him.

"You were going to look after my daughter. Make sure she didn't get hurt," he said as he picked up the coffee and cringed as he took a sip, depositing it in the trash promptly.

"Kylie's an adult," Sherlock said simply, as he was already slightly board with this conversation.

"Yeah, she is," Gibbs said as he looked the younger man in the eyes once more, "but she needs someone to tell her that she's being irrational, not tell her to go on a date with a man who is hunting her," he told him as the low deep growl returned to his voice.

_I didn't want her to. I practically pleaded with her._

"She made her decision," Sherlock told him before Gibbs smacked him on the back of the head, much harder than Kylie ever had.

"Get your head straight," Gibbs told him harshly. "You already broke my daughter's heart once and the only reason I haven't killed you where you stand is because I know that you still care for her."

"I don't."

"Bullshit."

Sherlock just looked at him as Gibbs took a threatening step forward.

"You don't let people that you care for walk into danger like that. Charlie told me that you tried to stop her but you know what? You try harder when it comes to those you love."

"I don't love her," Sherlock told him.

Gibbs smirked and laughed slightly before brushing past him, "Yeah, you do."

Sherlock was left in the hallway with a confused look on his face.

**%#$& ***

"Sherlock, I am perfectly able to open the door by myself you know," Kylie complained as they walked into her house.

Kylie had been released from the hospital after spending three days in that "hell hole" as she had put it. Tony and her father had left after they had been called in by the Director to work some large national incident that happened during New York's fleet week, leaving Kylie to do as she pleased. Well, not really, but at least it was two less people being absurdly overprotective of her injuries.

"You can't even open a can of soda," Sherlock argued as he placed her bag on the floor and shut the door behind him.

Kylie glared at him and looked around for Toby expectantly, "Where's Toby?"

"Charlie took him," Sherlock said as he looked at her, "Said he needed to be looked after."

Kylie smiled and ran her good hand through her hair, "Well that makes me hate him slightly less after I had to put up with him hitting on all of the nurses this week."

Sherlock smiled at her slightly as he looked at her. The bruise and cut on her face broke his heart. If only he had figured it out quicker, she wouldn't have gotten hurt…Irene wouldn't be dead.

Kylie's face fell slightly as she looked at him, "I wish I could go to the funeral," she told him quietly.

"John said you couldn't fly for another two weeks after as severe a concussion you had. Risk of hemorrhage is too great."

Kylie sighed, "I know, I just feel like I owe her."

He just looked at her for a moment before dropping his gaze to the floor.

Kylie watched him for a moment before clearing her voice and awkwardly rubbing her bandaged arm.

"When does your flight leave?" she asked.

"Six-thirty," Sherlock replied.

Kylie nodded and dropped her gaze once more. She felt eyes on her as she looked up again to find Sherlock staring at her.

She looked at him quizzically.

"Are you coming back to London?" he asked in a quiet voice that Kylie had only heard him use once when he told her that he loved her.

_Yeah, but then you stepped all over him…._

Kylie sighed and looked at him. His face was expressionless. Sure, his voice had been small and quiet, but his face didn't show any emotion what so ever.

She had been dreading this moment ever since Mycroft had walked out of her room. It was the one thing that she had been thinking about non-stop in the last couple of days and even though she had made up her mind, she wasn't sure if it was the right choice.

"No," Kylie said quietly, "I have a life here Sherlock, a good one. As much as I would love to be back at Baker Street with you and run around and solve cases, I cant."

"Why not?" Sherlock asked slightly hurt.

_Oh God, he looks like a hurt puppy._

"Because I need to get over you, and I cant do that if we are living in the same flat."

"Get over me?"

"Yes, Sherlock. Get over you. We aren't together anymore; you have made that very clear. And if you don't want a relationship, that's fine, but you need to know that I have to do something's for myself in order to cope with that."

He just looked at her once more before he took a step towards her.

He bent down and pressed his lips against hers briefly causing Kylie's head to spin as electricity and warmth raged through her body.

He pulled away and looked at her for half a second before Kylie opened her eyes.

"I love you," he said in a small quiet voice.

Kylie froze on the spot. She just gaped at him. Did she really hear what she thought she heard? It took Sherlock half a second before he realized what he had said out loud. He looked slightly petrified, like a scared child before he turned and walked quickly out of the house, shutting the door behind him.

Kylie couldn't move, she was rooted to the spot. Shock had overtaken her body as she just stared at where Sherlock had just been standing.

Had he really just told her that he loved her?

Even when they were together, he hadn't said it. Granted he did once, but Kylie had royally messed that one up.

Kylie couldn't feel a single part of her body. Her head was still spinning from the chaste kiss. What did it all mean? Kylie didn't have a clue. He was leaving for London, a flight that Kylie couldn't go on. They wouldn't work together anyway right?

Oh who in the hell was she kidding, she had never fallen so hard for anyone else in her life. Her feelings for him had tripled since he had arrived in San Diego and what had just happened didn't help.

But would his embarrassment over the whole issue cause him to pull away once more? Was it worth giving up her life here only to have her heart smashed by the dark-haired detective once more?

Minute after minute past as Kylie still found herself unable to move. He was gone. There was no chasing after him.

**Review? :D**


	25. Chapter 25

**Wow! I got a lot of awesome feedback on the last chapter! A lot of people were angry with me for my. …evilness, but I hope that this makes up for it! **

**I had a lot of people guess what was going to happen next, but not a single one was right (Well, Gracesong sort of did….)! I like twists and turns when you least expect it!**

**Also, I'm sorry to not reply to you guys once more who reviewed, but I don't want to give anything a way!**

**Lastly, I have to apologize for this chapter. Its quite different from what I usually write due to…well, you'll figure out what I mean. So sorry if it's bad.**

**Enjoy :D**

Sherlock walked quickly down the streets of London. He was chasing a lead on his latest case, but his mind was elsewhere.

It had been two weeks since his return to London and he had fled Kylie's home in San Diego, and yet he still could not explain how or why on earth he had told her he loved her. Or even why he kissed her….

There was no denying that he had enjoyed the electricity and warmth that had spread throughout his body when he placed his soft lips on hers, but he would never admit that to anyone.

He could still see that look on her face as he pulled away to look at her. Bliss? He didn't know, usually he would ask John about that (but that was definitely not an option). Just looking at Kylie at that moment had confirmed it within himself that love was a real, viable chemical interaction. He hated every second of it, but Kylie Gibbs had made him…love…

The real question was, was why in hell had he said it out loud? That thought was something that he had meant to keep to himself, not tell Kylie. He hadn't realized that he did until he saw her gaping expression.

God he was an idiot. What in the hell had this physiological chemical reaction done to him? Made him idiotic. He had asked Kylie to move into Baker Street and take John's place and she had told him no. Her feelings for him were gone, she had gone to great lengths to stay away from him for three months and after this whole ordeal with the Ripper, she had decided to keep it that way.

He didn't blame her. If he had been more watchful, more observant, and not distracted by her in that red dress, he would have seen instantly that the person they were looking for was in deed Harringer.

God that dress… it had still been haunting him. She had looked amazing. That dress had fitted her just right so you could watch the sway of her hips in her gait pattern as those heels adorned her feet.

Sherlock rolled his eyes at himself as he drew his coat closer around himself and turned his coat collar up. He was sick of the fact that his blood was beginning to rush to a part of his anatomy that was not his brain. This had a habit of happening more and more often. He didn't get it. Sure, it had happened when he first hit puberty, but he soon learned how to control it.

Sherlock was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt his phone buzz. He pulled it out of his pocket and rolled his eyes. John was calling…yet again.

It was almost a miracle he had moved out of Baker Street, it was easier to avoid him. John had been especially annoying over the last two weeks. Ever since Sherlock had met John and Lestrade at the airport after leaving Kylie's, John had seen Sherlock's still slightly horrified expression and not allowed the topic to be dropped. The whole flight he had interrogated Sherlock on what had happened at Kylie's place. Sherlock hadn't responded and eventually (three quarters of the way through the flight) dropped it. That wasn't where it ended though, no not at all. Even after Irene's funeral John and ….his girlfriend… had shared a cab with him. John and …that woman… interrogated him the entire ride about what had happened between him and Kylie which lead to Sherlock snapping and saying something to her that made her cry and John glare at him as he got out of the cab and walk the rest of the way back to Baker Street.

Ever since then, John had been more and more annoying to be around, He kept telling Sherlock things like, "you need to say how you feel every once in a while" and "You are a BLOODY Idiot!". He was beginning to alternate back and forth from sounding like Witham to yelling at him. It was highly irrational and annoying.

Because he couldn't stand John at the moment, Sherlock had mainly been reclusive. He had just taken a couple of cases from Lestrade and was currently trying to track down members of his homeless network in order to find out more information on where a fugitive may be hiding.

The case itself was boring and pointless, but Sherlock had taken it on as something to do. Usually at this point of boredom, he would begin experiments at Barker Street or at Bart's, but John frequented both of those places trying to find him. Damn Mrs., Hudson for allowing him to keep at key.

Sherlock rounded the corner of Baker Street as the smell of vanilla and lavender hit his nostrils. Sherlock's eyes immediately darted around for a head of long dark auburn curls.

…What was he doing? Kylie was in San Diego and seriously, he was smelling her now?

He needed to get a grip on himself.

He unlocked the door and walked into 221B as he removed his scarf, jacket and blazer. Mrs. Hudson had apparently started the fire. Sherlock began to walk over to his music stand when he froze. Someone else was here.

Sherlock slowly turned around to see Kylie sitting on his couch looking at him with her large blue eyes.

Her bruise was gone, as well as her cut and sling. He could still see that there was a build up of scar tissue on her left shoulder just by the way she held herself.

She just stared at him blankly. He looked at her with a slight surprise before he felt the butterflies and giddiness return.

He looked to her right; there were three large suitcases next to his couch. How had he missed that when he came in?

"Hello Sherlock," Kylie said smiling slightly.

Sherlock opened his mouth to say something but he found himself…nervous? Why in hell was he nervous? Seriously? He never got nervous.

"Hello," he managed to get out. God he hated himself right now, he should have never kissed her when he was at her house. If he hadn't, he would already be telling her about the case he was working on.

"You're going to move in?" He asked awkwardly.

_Please say yes…_

…_Seriously? Who are you? John with his girlfriend?_

Kylie looked at her bags, "Yeah," she said before turning back to him, "if that's still okay with you."

Sherlock nodded as she stood up, "Great."

He watched Kylie look at him curiously as she walked towards him. He had to address this. Even he couldn't handle the elephant in the room.

"Look, Kylie. What happened before I left. I do not know what came over me. I respect that you are, as you say 'trying to get over me'…" Sherlock began before Kylie's lips were on his. Sherlock felt the rest of the world around him melt away as he closed his eyes and enjoyed the warmth that was spreading throughout his body as Kylie's lips lay on his.

Sherlock felt her pull away and found her looking at him with a smile on her face. God she was beautiful.

"I love you too," She said quietly.

Sherlock's mind went blank. Wait…. She did?

Before he knew what he was doing, he was shoving Kylie roughly up against the wall. He looked at her briefly before his lips were on hers again with a fervency that could not be explained.

Kylie moaned into his mouth as her arms slid up his chest and around his neck, pulling him closer to her as he pressed his body against hers, pinning her to the wall.

He shivered lightly as she pulled away briefly to drop kisses down his jaw line. She made her way down his throat, nipping and sucking as she went.

Sherlock let out an involuntary groan as she reached his collarbone. He ran his hands up her sides, and brought them back down again. He found the hem of her shirt and the inch or so of exposed skin. He felt Kylie gasp as his fingers touched the exposed skin of her low back. He took that opportunity to recapture his lips with hers, kissing her fiercely once more.

Sherlock's hand adventured further under her shirt as he felt Goosebumps cover the skin of her stomach and back. Kylie lightly nipped and sucked on his bottom lip as he deepened the kiss.

Kylie's hands flew into his hair and then down his back; causing Sherlock to lose what little self-control he had left. He broke his lips from hers only when he was beginning to see dark spots from lack of oxygen and his lungs began to burn.

Sherlock looked at her as he caught his breath. Her eyes were almost black with desire as she looked at him breathing heavily. She trailed a hand down his chest as she looked at him, almost asking. The sight of her slightly disheveled, looking at him with desire left him absolutely no self-control, he couldn't control himself. He had no power over his actions anymore.

He pulled her towards him and away from the wall slightly as he shoved her pea coat off of her as his lips met hers once more. Kylie helped him the best she could and gasped once more in slight surprise when his hands were under her shirt before her coat even hit the ground.

Kylie's head was spinning from the electricity that was racing through her body. She had never seen this almost animalistic side of him before…. not that she was complaining….

His hands began to travel farther and farther up until he growled into her mouth in frustration by how limiting the shirt was and pulled it off of her. His lips then made their way down her jawline as his hands explored the newly exposed flesh of her stomach and back. Kylie bit her lip to with hold the moan as she shivered in pleasure under his touch.

Good Lord if he could do this to her with just touching her stomach and back…

Kylie's internal thoughts went out the window as he found that place on her neck that drove her crazy. She moaned as her hands flew to his shirt, unbuttoning it quickly and shoving it off of his shoulders. He pulled back briefly so that he could pull it off completely as Kylie lunged at him, forcing him back slightly as Kylie began to move them towards Sherlock's bedroom.

She ran her hands up his chest, trying to feel every muscle, every contour as her lips found his collarbone once more. Sherlock let out a deep groan that Kylie could tell he was trying to keep to himself, but failed. She smiled slightly; she was having an effect on him.

Kylie was pressed into him immediately as Sherlock's back met the hallway wall. Kylie felt something hard hit her upper thigh. She was definitely having an effect on him.

She was taken by surprise when Sherlock took control once more, shoving her back lightly and pushing her up against the wall opposite to them. His lips explore her neck and collarbone. As he reached her left shoulder, her was careful to be gentle around her injury. It was actually quite endearing. His lips and tongue ran over it as if he were trying to sooth the scar away.

Kylie gently moved as to capture his lips with hers once more as she pulled him with her into the bedroom. She closed the door and leaned against it before pulling him towards her once more. Her hands tangled in his hair as he kissed her fiercely. Kylie began to nudge him back towards the bed. He stopped suddenly as the back of his legs hit the bed.

She felt Sherlock stiffen slightly. She pulled back to look at him, as if to ask if he wanted to continue…. God knows she did….

Sherlock's eyes met hers briefly before wandering down the rest of her exposed body. Kylie felt the heat rise to her cheeks slightly under his gaze. She knew his overactive brain was analyzing and digesting every single part of this. She just hoped he liked what he saw.

Her question was answered as she felt his lips once more on her neck near her ear; Kylie fought the urge to moan, but lost as his teeth grazed her earlobe. That's it…she couldn't take it anymore.

Kylie then shoved Sherlock onto the bed and climbed on top of him straddling his hips as she kissed him. She went to kiss his neck as she ran her hands down his chest and ground her hips into his. Sherlock gasped at the unexpected friction as his hands flew to Kylie's hips. She smiled against his skin as she began to kiss her way down his chest. She began to find spots that made him shiver and groan as she reached where his belt lay.

She stopped and looked at him before she began to undo his belt. She felt him stiffen slightly as he looked at her blankly, his pupils blown with desire. She slowly unbuttoned his pants, careful not to touch him. She needed to ease him into this. She began to pull them down his legs only to have Sherlock help her. She threw them to the floor and looked at him.

There he was, Sherlock Holmes, lying there in the center of a bed in only his underwear…. Good Lord he was sexy.

Sherlock's cheeks began to redden under her stare. Kylie snapped out of her trance and back to her task.

"Just relax," She whispered to him as she bent down to kiss his stomach as her hands began wandering up his thighs. She felt him stiffen slightly as she neared his desire. Kylie moved her body up and kissed him softly. He seemed to relax a little as she moved her hand closer to its desired location. She kept doing this until she laid her palm on him. Sherlock stiffened once more and Kylie brought her other hand up to his face to try to get him to relax as she kissed him, holding her hand there as she did. Once he began to relax more, Kylie started to grope him gently, adding more and more pressure and friction as he relaxed further into her ministrations.

Unexpected to Kylie, Sherlock turned and flipped her onto her back as he rolled on top of her, kissing her passionately. His hands were all over her as he began to make his way down her body, as to reenact what she had just did to him.

Dear Lord, was this man a quick learner. He made his way down to her breasts before he pulled back slightly to look at them. Kylie watched him as he slid his hands up her body to grasp them. Kylie inhaled sharply at the contact and shut her eyes. He was looking at her, as if to analyze which movements brought her pleasure and which did not. He began to play with them as she moaned lightly. This continued for a few minutes until she felt Sherlock's hands leave her and removed her bra swiftly and easily.

Kylie didn't even think that the bra had hit the floor, before Sherlock's mouth and hands were all over her once more. She let out another moan and arched her back into him as his warm velvety mouth wrapped itself around her nipple. She raked her nails across his shoulders as she desperately tried to cling to him; a rock in her sea of pleasure.

He gave similar attention to both breasts before he continued down her body. By this time, Kylie was panting and desperate for friction. Sherlock slowly reached the top of her pants as his eyes met hers. Impatiently, Kylie's hands flew down to her pants, unbuttoning them and pulling them off quickly.

She then pushed him back and brought her hands down to the band of his underwear. She looked at him to make sure he was okay before removing them completely. Kylie saw the red return to his cheeks as he sat up, kissing her briefly before beginning to tug at hers.

There they were, together, everything bared. All thoughts gone, all inhibitions gone. Kylie kissed him softly once more as they both began to explore every inch of each other, memorizing every crevasse, every shiver, every sigh, every moan.

Kylie broke the kiss and looked at him before slowly climbing in his lap, hovering over him as Sherlock sat up. She put a hand on his face as if to ask permission wordlessly. His hands ran up and down her back before he leaned forward to kiss her gently. That was all that Kylie needed to know before she lowered herself onto him as they clung to each other.

Completion, was the only word to describe it as they became one with each other. Kylie could not imagine a better feeling on the planet than the one that she was feeling at that moment as she clung to Sherlock and he clung to her as they made love for the first time.

They wanted more and more of each other through out that night until finally, one crossed the edge, and brought the other with them. Breathing hard, they collapsed onto the bed, entangled in a sweaty heap. They both lay there for a moment, neither able to move until finally Kylie pulled her head up from where it had been nuzzled in Sherlock's neck and smiled as she kiss him tenderly. She pulled back to look at him as she wiped some of his damp curls out of his face. Sherlock captures her lips gently once more before he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him. He pulled back before pulling the sheet over them and settling back down.

Kylie rested her head on his chest as her hand began to rub those circles that he had missed so much. He sighed with contentment as his hand traveled up and down the soft skin of her bare back lightly before playing with her curls.

They drifted off to sleep, not even saying a single word to each other, but just knowing that right there, is exactly where they were supposed to be.

**I apologize to any young, innocent minds that I have just corrupted. This story is rated M…for a reason, but I still feel terrible for corrupting you.**

**Also, I have NEVER EVER written anything like this chapter in my life, so if it was bad, tell me, and I promise I will never write anything like it again.**

**...see! I had to bring the sexual tension up to a max before I could break it all down again… Hopefully your patience and frustration was worth the wait.**

**Review? I would really like feedback on this chapter especially!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! You guys are amazing! **

**So, I apologize about the last chapter. I realize that it was a bit too smutty and I corrupted and scarred at few people (which to those of you, I cannot apologize more profusely). I do realize that I suck at writing that sort of stuff and is totally not how I usually write, but I had to show the fact that all that sexual tension was bursting at the seams and came flooding out at once.**

**So once more, I apologize. I will most likely never write something like that again.**

**Anyhow, I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter…it was my study break. I'm brain dead. I hate electricity. I hate Circuits. I hate physics. …**

**Sorry. I'm done venting! Enjoy!**

Sherlock walked out into his living room the next day and couldn't help but smile to himself slightly. He couldn't believe how he was feeling at the moment; it was the opposite of how he should feel.

He wasn't emotional, he didn't do feelings, and yet he couldn't help but feel a flood of emotion towards the woman who was currently still asleep in his bed. He thought that after he had kissed her in her home and told her, out loud, that he loved her he would never see her again. But then, two weeks later, she had shown up in his flat, bags and all.

He picked up her coat off the floor and hung it over the chair with his. He couldn't help but feel the grin on his face and warmth return when he thought about what had happened the night before. He couldn't explain what had happened to him other than the fact that his mind had gone blank and he had lost control of his actions. He had completely lost himself in her. He didn't know how, he didn't know why, but there was something between them that he had allowed himself to do that.

_Love?_

Why on earth was this word keeps coming up. Sure, he had told Kylie that he loved her. Sure, he had deduced that love was a real thing and that that was most likely what he felt towards Kylie.

_You know it is. She loves you too. She's safe._

Yeah, okay. He did, he loved her, but that didn't mean that he had to be comfortable with the word. Sherlock Holmes didn't love, Kylie was just the exception.

He picked up the rest of the clothes off the floor and silently opened his bedroom door. Kylie was still asleep, curled up next to the pillow he had been sleeping on. Her back was bared as she slept soundly. Sherlock gently wiped some of her hair out of her face before depositing the clothes in his hamper. He walked out of the room, shutting the door as quietly as he could behind him.

He was amazed that he hadn't woken her up when he was attempting to untangle himself from her. He had been able to shower, dress and clean up with out stirring her in even the slightest. The jet lag had most likely gotten to her.

Sherlock walked into the kitchen to put the kettle on, when the door to 221B opened.

….John…

"Sherlock," John began ranting at him as he walked into the flat, "You really need to start taking my calls, because if you don't, I think that something has happened to you."

"Hello John," Sherlock said with a slight annoyance at his friends ranting as he pulled out the paper and began reading.

"I'm serious Sherlock! I know you are still mad at me because you are here all alone now, but I just want you to know that nothing has changed. I'm still here everyday, for most of the day, and I still want to work cases with you!"

Interesting, he still hadn't noticed the bags….

"Of course John. But things have changed."

"How have they changed?" John asked sitting in his regular chair.

"You don't live here."

"Sherlock, I just explained that to you!" John began as Mycroft walked in through the door.

"Another domestic?" Mycroft inquired as Sherlock rolled his eyes at the presence of the two people who were annoying him the most at the moment.

"What are you doing here?" Sherlock glared at him before his sight fell to the file in his brother's hands, "Case? One that I don't want. Let me guess, missing files or weapons? Neither are worth my time."

Sherlock turned back to his paper as his brother raised an eyebrow at him.

"Murder in the Thames house. MI5 agent was killed when the building was secure," Mycroft told him.

Sherlock's eyes traveled up to his brother while he didn't move his paper or head.

Mycroft smiled, he had peaked his younger brother's interest.

"We want to keep it secure and within house per say, but your name came up in this time of need," Mycroft informed him.

Mycroft could see the internal debate that was raging within Sherlock's mind. He wanted the case, it was interesting, but he also wanted to turn every case his brother brought him down just to spite him.

Sherlock and Mycroft were locked in a staring contest for a moment or two before John took the file from Mycroft and began looking through it as Sherlock's eyes returned to the newspaper in front of him.

"The Thames house was secure for a meeting with the Prime minister. No one could enter or leave until the meeting had subsided," Mycroft began as John flipped through the file and Sherlock pretended not to be listening, "MI5 agent Benjamin Lancaster was found dead in a secure room. Neck was broken."

"What was he doing in the secure room?" John asked.

Mycroft shook his head, "No idea how or why he was able to get into the room."

"What was in the room?" John asked.

Sherlock smiled, he knew the right questions to ask.

"Nothing the two of you need to concern yourselves with," Mycroft said smiling at them.

John was about to open his mouth when they heard a door close down the hall.

John and Mycroft's heads snapped towards Sherlock inquiring about who was here, as Sherlock raised the newspaper as if to hide his face from their view.

"Sherlock," a voice said as Mycroft and John looked towards the hall leading to Sherlock's room. They watched as Kylie came out dressed only in her underwear and only had one of Sherlock's shirts barely keeping her decent. She ran a tired hand through her hair as she yawned, closing her eyes and preventing her from seeing Mycroft and John as she walked into the kitchen, "I couldn't find my clothes so I borrowed a shirt."

Mycroft gaped as John's jaw dropped and his eyes bulged. Seriously?

Kylie began to make tea as no one could speak, Sherlock out of embarrassment, while John and Mycroft were still trying to process the fact that they had slept together.

"So I was thinking that I may lay low for a few days to get everything set up and situated here," Kylie said as she picked up the two mugs and began to walk towards the desk when she saw them.

Kylie froze, and stared at their still slightly shocked looks. She felt her face turn beet red as Mycroft began to smirk at her.

"Did you two….?" John began to inquire before he stopped himself. Kylie blushed a little more before slowly looking down at what she was wearing and glanced at Sherlock who was still hiding behind his paper.

"I'm going to go put on pants," Kylie said as she set the mugs down on the table and walked back into the bedroom.

John turned to smirk at Sherlock who was still hiding, "So you and Kylie?"

"Shut up," Sherlock snapped from his hiding place.

"Sherlock we've got link between two murders," Lestrade said as he walked through the door.

Sherlock rolled his eyes, why in the hell was everyone he knew walking into his flat at this moment.

"We think it's a serial," he finished before nodding hello to Mycroft and John.

Lestrade looked at the suitcases before turning to Sherlock, "Oh is Kylie's here already?"

Everyone, even Sherlock turned to look at him.

"How did you know she'd be here?" John asked.

"I just got off the phone with Charlie," he said, "Hastings fired both him and Kylie."

"Fired?" John asked in shock, "Why?"

"Because its apparently against FBI protocol to go undercover without three week prior approval from the director and back up standing by," Kylie said as she walked back into the room. "Hello Greg," she said smiling at him before she grabbed her mug and sat on the arm of Sherlock's chair.

Lestrade just looked at her for a moment, "Is that his shirt?"

Kylie blushed once more as Sherlock hid behind the paper again. Lestrade turned to look at Mycroft and John, putting two and two together by seeing their smirk. Much to Kylie and Sherlock's dismay, it had not been a well-kept secret that they had not slept together during their prior relationship. Some understood because they knew about Kylie's past, had met Sherlock, and had respect for being religious or old fashioned, but others could not wrap their mind around it, which is why they grew so annoyed with everyone obsessing where it was none of their business.

Lestrade grinned and opened his mouth to say something before Kylie cut him off, "Say something and I will kick you so hard that your testicles recede back up into your body. This is a private thing between Sherlock and I and none of you have any business in making a comment about it." Kylie snapped.

"So the opposite of what you did to Sherlock last night," John said grinning, not able to help himself.

Sherlock's paper snapped down as he and Kylie both glared at John murderously.

"Careful John," Kylie said angrily as she took her phone from off the desk and began typing, "I can have Mary withhold sex from you until the wedding."

John scoffed as Kylie looked at him raising an eyebrow.

"I'll just tell her that I read that it makes the honeymoon a lot more special and has shown to decrease the divorce rate," Kylie told him as she finished the message and pressed send.

John's face fell in horror. Mary had gone crazy into full wedding planning mode and if you told her you read it somewhere, Mary would instantly pick it up.

John pulled out his phone and began trying to text Mary and tell her that it was a joke Kylie was playing as Lestrade laughed slightly.

"No chance you are going to be able to reverse that one. When one woman's read it in a magazine, that word is etched in stone," Lestrade told him clapping him on the shoulder in pity for the time ahead of him.

Kylie smirked as she sipped her tea. Sherlock finally set down his paper and picked up his mug, smirking at John as he hung his arm off of Kylie's leg, since she was sitting on his armrest.

Mycroft looked between the two of them, they really were quite a pair.

"You get everything figured out with the university?" Lestrade asked her.

"University?" Sherlock asked.

"Yeah, Charlie's accepted a post here too as a liaison to the FBI and the Yard could only hire one. So I took a position at Bart's in conjunction with the PhD and Medical program at University of London. Fortunately. The job is in liaison with the Yard and so I pretty much have my same job except I teach one class and mentor some graduate students," Kylie told them.

"Congratulations," Mycroft told her. Usually it was John who would have expressed his happiness for her, but he was too busy sulking over the loss of his sex life.

"Thank you Mycroft," Kylie told him as she sipped her tea once more.

Sherlock pulled the mug from her hands and set it on the table.

"Hey!" Kylie objected, "I wasn't done with that!"

"Go get a shower, we have a case," He told her as he picked up his paper once more, "God knows you take long enough to get ready."

Kylie stared at him in amazement before turning to the rest of them. They all smirked at her as she got up and grabbed one of her suitcases muttering something about 'taking twice as long'.

Once Kylie had walked into the bedroom Lestrade turned to Sherlock smirking, "Sherlock, you have a lot to learn about living with a woman."

"She's moving in with you?"

**Review?**


	27. Chapter 27

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! You guys are amazing!**

**Sorry it took me so long to get this one up. I had a huge midterm yesterday!**

**Just so everyone knows too, I am not planning on ending this story anytime soon. I have PLENTY of ideas to keep this series going for a while, so hopefully none of you are sick of this yet. I have plenty of twist and turns and mystery ahead! **

**Oreal770****: hahaha yep, happy happy…. For now…**

**PeaceTia:**** I'm not ending it yet! And yes, there are plenty of cases and drama to happen around the corner! And eww. Jury duty…. I'm so sorry…**

**Rinnalaiss:**** Thanks so much! That means a lot! And yes, I know… I just hate citing stuff, so I really don't take the time. I figure since I'm not making money off of this and it's on a fanfictionsite, where everything is essentially someone else's I wouldn't do it. You're right, I should…I'm just far too lazy… I def feel you on the dissertation thing, I just wrote a massive research proposal and I think that is mainly why I hate citing stuff. But once again, you are right, I should! Thanks for pointing it out! And thanks even more for reading!  
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**SevenSeasPirateQueen:**** I'm Glad :D and I completely agree with you…. Sherlock's not that kind of guy.**

**RhythmicSound:**** Thanks so much! That means a lot to me! For real! I was super worried about that chapter! And yes, they will…**

**Gwilwillith:**** Thanks! Really, that means a lot! Especially that you said it was tasteful. I was really worried that it wasn't!  
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**A huge thanks to ****Thegirlwiththebrowneyes, littlefootthewarrior, and, animemonkey13**** for their reviews also!**

**Like I said before, this story is nowhere near over…nowhere near…**

"FOR GODSSAKE!" Sherlock said as he paced by the front door waiting for Kylie as John and Mycroft sat by the fireplace while Lestrade smirked, "How long are you going to take?"

"Oh," Kylie said as she emerged from the bedroom fully dressed wearing a smile, "You were waiting on me?" she asked innocently.

Sherlock glared at her as Lestrade stifled a laugh, Mycroft smirked, and John…well he really didn't know what to do since he was still upset about Kylie interfering in his life.

Kylie laughed slightly as she grabbed her coat off the chair and turned to see Sherlock still glaring at her.

She smiled and laughed at him as she walked up and kissed him on the cheek before walking down the steps.

Sherlock didn't move, but just glared into space once more.

"Welcome to living with a woman," Lestrade told him as he followed Kylie down the steps.

Sherlock just turned and looked at John and Mycroft before huffing and walking down the steps after her.

Sherlock arrived outside in time to see Lestrade getting into his car and pull out while Kylie stood on the curb grinning at him.

Sherlock looked at her, "You took forever on purpose."

Kylie raised her eyebrows at him, "You just deduced that?" She smiled at him before turning and looking for a taxi on the street, "Gee, if I had known you'd be getting slow without me, I would have came back sooner."

Sherlock gave her an insulted look before she turned back smiling at him. He smirked at her as he laughed slightly, knowing she was joking as he walked to stand next to her.

"Point taken," he said as the taxi pulled up to them. Kylie looked at him strangely as he opened the door for her and put a hand on her back, nudging her into the cab.

Since when did he learn subtle lessons?

"That's a first," Kylie joked as she got into the cab, telling the driver the address as Sherlock got in after her.

"I'm assuming you want to go to Lestrade's scene first?" Kylie asked, "God forbid you do your brother a favor."

"Have you met Mycroft?" Sherlock scoffed as he placed his hand on Kylie's leg.

Kylie smiled. _That was definitely new. He never used to be this….touchy… before. _

_He's more comfortable with you. _Her subconscious told her. _He loves you. He's accepted that._

"He's a politician with a power complex and his hands in too many pots," Sherlock told her as he looked out the window.

Kylie smiled at him and put her hand over his, squeezing it slightly, "Yeah," she told him, but you've got to admit, a murder in the Thames house with no entrance and no exit? That's a pretty damn good case."

"Unfortunately," Sherlock muttered. He really didn't want to take that case due to the fact Mycroft wanted him to.

"Just think," Kylie told him, "We could get to harass half of the stuck up pricks that run this country and put a damper on Mycroft's career hopes."

Sherlock looked at her, she was smiling at him, her eyes sparkling with mischief. He smiled at her. God, he had missed her.

"A dream come true," he smirked.

Kylie laughed.

He leaned over and kissed her temple before returning to looking out the window at the city as they rode in comfortable silence to their crime scene.

The cab finally slowed to a stop as Kylie shoved some bills at the driver and hopped out of the cab after Sherlock.

"So do you think Lestrade actually has a serial killer?" Kylie asked as she walked next to him.

Sherlock smirked once more as they walked down the alley towards the fleet of squad cars, "Doubtful, the last time he thought he found a serial killer it was just two women who happened to die in the same hair salon."

Kylie smirked as they ducked under the tape and walked towards the scene.

"What in the hell are you doing here?" Donovan gaped as she watched the two of them walk towards where she stood.

"Happy to see us Sally?" Sherlock quipped as he shoved his hands into his jacket pockets.

"Not you freak," Sally spat as she turned to Kylie, "Since when did you come back? He drag you back with him?"

Kylie stopped in her tracks and glared at her, "First of all, I came back on my own accord."

"Heard you got fired," Donovan told her crossing her arms in front of herself.

"Yeah, you're right I did. But you know the reason I got fired? Because unlike you, my partner and I took a risk and stopped a serial killer. We actually care about the victims because unlike you I have a soul," Kylie told her before she took another step towards her.

"Kylie," Sherlock said trying to pull her away from the situation that was about to unfold.

"And don't call him a freak," Kylie said in a dangerously low voice that reminded Sherlock of her father, "Just because he is brilliant and can see things that you are too stupid to even be able to digest does not make him a freak. It makes him exceptional and you just a low piece of scum who can't handle anyone who can do things that you can't comprehend. So if I ever, EVER, hear you call him that again, I swear to GOD I will hand your ass to you on a platter."

"Kylie," Sherlock said once more.

Donovan just stared at her in shock, she had not been expecting Kylie to go off on her. She looked between the two of them, something was going on between them.

"Kylie," Sherlock said as he grabbed her hand and dragged her towards the body and away from Donovan.

Kylie gave Donavan one more glare before allowing Sherlock to pull her away towards where Lestrade was standing.

"This is right up your alley for your first case Kylie," Lestrade said as he saw them approaching.

Lestrade stepped aside to reveal a single pelvic bones sitting in the alleyway next to what appeared to be a large amount of chalk dust.

Sherlock scoffed, "That's it? That's your hugely interesting case? A piece of a pelvic bone in an alleyway?"

"We had the same thing a week ago," Lestrade told him as Kylie donned gloves and bent down to look at the remains, "a pelvic bine in chalk dust."

"It a pelvic bone, most likely just a grave robber playing a prank. Or a model for a classroom," Sherlock told him with increasing boredom.

"Its not," Kylie said as she inspected pelvis and the chalk dust, "If this was a model it would be made out of plastic. This is bone, human bone. And it was from someone who was recently alive."

"Someone dug the woman up," Sherlock dismissed, slightly peeved that this case hadn't turned out to be anything interesting.

"It's a woman?" Lestrade asked, "You can tell that from half of a bone?"

"Yes, it is a woman," Kylie said standing up with the bone, "and the human pelvis is actually made up of six bones total. Each side has an ilium, ischium, and a pubis bound together by a bony suture similar to the ones in the skull so it appears as if it is one bone. And Sherlock's right, this is from a woman, a young woman. Most likely 20-25 years old. But…" Kylie said looking at Sherlock, "you are wrong about the fact that she was dug up. First of all, she is only recently deceased. Bone is a living thing, and just like every other living thing, it decomposes at a certain rate. This shows no signs of decomposition and I'm sure once I get it under a microscope, I'll see only recent osteon death. But then there is the weird part that if she is only recently deceased, then why is there no skin, flesh, muscle, blood, or staining?"

Sherlock looked at the bone, maybe this case wouldn't be that boring after all. He put on gloves and took the bone from Kylie inspecting it for himself as she bent down towards the ground again.

"Why would he put his victims next to chalk dust anyways?" Lestrade asked.

"We haven't proved murder," Kylie said as she inspected it closer, "And its not chalk." Kylie turned back towards Sherlock and Lestrade, "Its bone dust."

Lestrade's eyebrows shot up as Sherlock looked at her, "She was obliterated into dust?"

Kylie looked back at the pile of bone dust. She had never seen something like this before.

"Was the one you found exactly like this?" she asked Lestrade as Sherlock bent down and began looking at the bone dust.

"Exactly," Lestrade told her, "And it doesn't help my nerves that they were found near this building."

Sherlock scoffed as he looked at him.

"What's wrong with this building?" Kylie asked looking at the side of it that was helping to form the alleyway.

"It's the Castle hotel," Lestrade told her.

Kylie raised an eyebrow at him, "Never heard of it."

"According to popular superstition is _haunted_," Sherlock said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes and stood up, removing his gloves.

"It is!" Lestrade said before turning to Kylie, "you wouldn't believe the calls that we get from the guests at this place."

Kylie looked at him skeptically, "Sorry to ruin your moment Lestrade, but I don't think a ghost killed her."

"She's a pile of bone dust!" Lestrade argued, "Can one of you two tell me how that happened?"

Kylie and Sherlock were quiet, neither of them had a clue.

"Exactly," Lestrade told them as he looked at the building apprehensively, "There's something weird about this building."

**Sorry it was short! I'll prob get another one up later tonight!**

**Review? Make my day?**


	28. Chapter 28

**I have to say, I have the MOST AMAZING READERS! For real! You guys make my day! You guys are the only reason I still write this story and update as often as I do!**

**GoodWolf101: Thanks so much! I really don't want to overdo Sherlock changing! So I really appreciate it!**

**TheSheepEnchanter: Thanks so much! I totally get it! School comes first! I have to tell you though, I love your massive reviews. They make my day every time! I recently rewatched all the episodes too (I loved it. I hadn't seen them in a while and every time I watch it, I pick up new things that Moffat and Gattis throw in). And that is a MASSIVE compliment that you were looking for Kylie in the episodes! For real! Thanks so much! I want her to be as realistic as possible and I am glad that she blended in. **

**ChelGallifreya221B613: READ THE BOOKS! They are amazing! I have only read about 5-6 of them (I plan on reading a lot more once my class is over) and I have not read that one you mentioned. I did look up the plot though and you are right, that would be an awesome one to do in this series! Thanks for the suggestion! And Castle is amazing. Did you see this season finale? I cried…. NBD.**

**A HUGE thanks to Jessness31, SevenSeasPirateQueen, PeaceTia, Ashilaa, GoldBee, Skywrites, Animemonkey13, Littlefoot the warrior, thegirlwiththebrowneyes, and Gwilwillith for their reviews also! My day was made! Thanks so much!**

**Here's a nice long chapter for you guys! I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think! Reviews are HUGELY appreciated!**

"I don't get it," Kylie stated as she huffed slightly pulling her head back from the microscope slightly to look at Sherlock and John, "How in the hell, would someone be put into bone dust?"

Sherlock didn't respond as he was too busy looking through his own microscope, but John just shrugged.

"The pelvis was just laying next to a whole pile of it?" he asked, "Now I wish I would have gone to the scene with you two."

Kylie smiled as she ran a hand through her hair before looking back down at her slide, "Yeah, now we just have to convince Lestrade it wasn't a ghost who did it," Kylie muttered as she heard Sherlock groan.

"THE BODY WAS NEXT TO THE CASTLE HOTEL?" John exclaimed.

"Why did you say that?" Sherlock groaned as he looked at Kylie.

She gaped at him, "Why does it matter? John's probably the least superstious person I know besides you."

"No, its haunted," John told her.

"Its not haunted," Sherlock told him.

"Yes, it is Sherlock, you weren't there!" John argued.

"Wait, let me get this straight," Kylie said as she looked at John, "You didn't believe that Sherlock saw a massive dog with red eyes in Baskerville…"

"I didn't I was drugged," Sherlock corrected.

"You didn't know that at the time," Kylie countered.

"You weren't even there!" Sherlock argued before Kylie turned and gaped at him

"Can I finish what I was saying? I'm making an argument for your side you know?"

"You weren't correct," he said simply.

Kylie sighed before rolling her eyes and turning back to John, "And yet you believe in ghosts?"

"Not Ghosts," John told her, "Just that there is…something that lives in that place. Something that kills."

Kylie raised an eyebrow at him skeptically.

"Look," John said, "I have had a few Army mates who have stayed there. Each say that they saw something, something that only came out in the night. They heard screams and creaks as if something was pacing up and down inside of the walls as if to choose their victim."

"You saw it?" Kylie asked.

"I heard it," John told her.

"You were DRUNK!" Sherlock argued.

"I was not drunk!" John retorted.

"You ran back to Baker Street and told me about it, then preceded to spend the rest of the night singing to yourself on the bathroom floor and retching," Sherlock told him.

John was silent for a moment, "…I heard it Sherlock!"

"Guys…" Kylie said as she looked at the screen her slide was projected onto.

"You were delusional! Oh, what is it like in that simple, hardly used brain of yours?"

"Guys…"

"It must be so simple! So boring!"

"GUYS!"

Sherlock and John shut their mouths and looked at where Kylie was pointing on her screen.

"Look," she said pointing to the outline on one of the cells, "I know how she was turned into dust."

"How?" John asked.

"She was cremated," Kylie said, "She was skinned, stripped and then her bones were cremated. You see theses rings and flecks? That's ash, and the rings are only created from extremely high temperatures, essentially singeing the membrane of the osteons."

"Ghosts don't cremate people," Sherlock told John pointedly.

"People cremate people," Kylie said.

John glared at the pair of them, "I almost miss it when you two were on each other's arses instead of teaming up on the rest of the world."

Kylie laughed as Sherlock smirked when the door opened and Mary entered.

"YOU COME BACK AND YOU DON'T CALL ME?" She said as she entered.

"Hi Mary!" Kylie said smiling at her.

"How long have you been here?" Mary asked hugging her.

"I just got in last night. Sorry I haven't called you yet, I was a bit occupied," Kylie said motioning to the evidence bags around them.

"Along with other things," John muttered.

"Wait…." Mary said as she saw Kylie glare, Sherlock turn a slight shade of red, and John smirk, "WHAT?"

"Nothing," Kylie said quickly, "When's the wedding? You set a date yet?"

"Are you two…back together?" Mary asked.

Kylie heard Sherlock groan as he stood up and grabbed his jacket.

Kylie cleared her throat, they hadn't really clarified the "title" of their relationship quite yet….or really even talked about living together….most of their time together had been umm… physical or case related…

"She moved in with him," John told Mary.

"YOU WHAT?" Mary said grinning from ear to ear as Sherlock handed Kylie her jacket as to try to get her out of the room before the situation became more embarrassing.

"Oh, and they shagged…" John said giving her a vengeful smirk.

"About DAMN TIME!" Mary said pretty much jumping up and down with excitement before stopping and grabbing Kylie's arm, "How was it? I bet it was mind blowing with all of that built up sexual tension. I mean you could cut the tension between the two of you with a knife."

"Okay, we're leaving," Sherlock told them as he dragged Kylie out by the hand.

"See you later," Kylie said as she walked through the door, "Call me about the wedding! I have some really great pre-wedding advice!"

Mary turned to John, "Pre-wedding advice? How does she have pre-wedding advice?"

John looked at her, "Have you not looked at your phone yet?"

Mary raised an eyebrow at him, "No, I've been doing post-Mortems all morning…why?"

"No reason," John said quickly as he kissed her quickly on the lips and began to lead her out of the door.

"Right…" Mary said as her hand slipped into his, "How did you know that they finally shagged? Did Sherlock say something, because THAT would surprise me."

John shook his head and laughed slightly, "No, I didn't even know she was coming back until I was sitting in Baker Street and she came wandering out of Sherlock's bedroom wearing one of his shirts."

Mary stopped and stared at him, "You're kidding me?"

John laughed as he threw his arm around Mary and began walking once more, "She didn't even realize that Mycroft and I were in the room either."

Mary laughed, "Oh I am going to give her so much crap for this."

**%#$ *&**

Kylie and Sherlock got out of the cab and began walking up to Baker Street.

"If you are going to cremate someone, why on earth would you dump their ashes in a pile in an alleyway next to half of a pelvis?" Kylie asked as Sherlock unlocked the door.

"He wants to be caught," Sherlock said as he held the door open for her.

"Who knows how many people he's killed then," Kylie said as she ran a hand through her hair and climbed the stairs to her home.

Her home….221B Baker Street. It felt so right.

Kylie opened the door to the flat and froze at the sight before her.

Sherlock looked at her curiously as he walked up behind her.

"Did you do this?" Kylie asked looking at him.

Sherlock shook his head, what in the hell?

Packing boxes and furniture covered the flat. It wasn't any furniture though, it was the same furniture that he had seen many times before in 221C when Kylie had lived there.

"This is all the stuff I left in my flat when I left," Kylie said as she walked in and looked through the boxes. It was literally everything.

"What did you do with it?" Sherlock asked as he walked in the flat, looking extremely uncomfortable with the change.

"Mary took it," Kylie said pulling out her cell phone, "I gave it to her to sell."

"And I put it in storage," Mycroft said as he walked in the door.

Sherlock glared at him, "Cant you go and meddle in someone else's life?"

Mycroft smiled at his brother before he turned to Kylie, "I thought you may be wanting it again."

"Why?" Sherlock asked, thoroughly annoyed, "I have furniture."

"You don't get women," Mycroft told him.

"And you do?" Sherlock asked.

"Much more than you," Mycroft told him.

"Boys," Kylie said as she walked over and laid a hand on Sherlock's torso comfortingly as she wrapped her other arm around him. She felt Sherlock relax slightly as his arm wrapped itself around her waist.

"Thank you Mycroft," Kylie told him.

Mycroft smiled, "Have you gotten anywhere with the Thames House killing?"

Kylie rolled her eyes, there was the politician once more.

"I'm busy Mycroft," Sherlock told him as he stared down his brother while he held onto Kylie.

Mycroft's eyes fell on Kylie.

Kylie laughed, "oh no," she said as she rubbed Sherlock's chest before slipping out of his arms and began busying herself with the boxes, "I am not getting in the middle of two brothers. And we are busy. He's working a case, I'm helping, I have to unpack, and I have to go see about my job tomorrow."

"That can be taken care of, I assure you," Mycroft told her.

"No," Sherlock told him flatly, "So you can leave us alone now. There are things that Kylie and I need to discuss."

Kylie looked at him. Was he regretting what had happened?

Mycroft smiled at them before walking back towards the door, "I'll call you tomorrow about the case."

"No you wont," Sherlock said as he walked over and slammed the door shut after almost hitting Mycroft with it.

Kylie raised an eyebrow at him as he turned around to look uncomfortably around the flat.

"You don't want my stuff here," Kylie told him.

"Its different."

"It will be in John's room….well my room…" Kylie said as she bent over to look at the boxes.

Sherlock was looking at her with confusion.

Kylie looked up at him, "What?"

Sherlock looked at her awkwardly, "I thought that my room was your room."

Kylie smiled he look almost hurt, "I …I just didn't know where we stood," Kylie told him, "I know that…. I just didn't want to make an assumptions that you weren't comfortable with."

Sherlock was looking at her with the same confused expression.

Kylie sighed and set the things down that she was holding before she walked over to Sherlock and ran a hand up his chest, "We uh…haven't really clarified things between us."

"What's there to clarify?" Sherlock asked as brushed her hair behind her ear.

Kylie looked at him, "I just don't know what you are comfortable with," she told him, "I want this to work Sherlock. I love you and those months that we were split up were terrible." Kylie looked down at her hand as it ran up and down his chest, "I don't want to go through that again," she said quietly.

Sherlock ran a hand through her hair before he pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her in a hug as he kissed her temple.

"I don't either," Sherlock whispered to her.

They just stood there for a moment.

"I love you," Sherlock said timidly in an almost inaudible whisper.

Kylie pulled back and looked at him. He was looking at her with sincerity. Kylie smiled as she leaned up and pressed her lips to his gently. The kiss was tender and lingering. Kylie pulled away and pressed her forehead to his trying to keep her heart from bursting at the seams from all of the emotions that she felt towards the man in front of her.

She felt Sherlock's hand on her cheek as his thumb stroked across it. He captured her lips with his once more before pulling away and gently leading her towards _their_ bedroom, where they lost themselves in each other once more.

**%#$ *&**

Later that night, Sherlock and Kylie lay in bed as Kylie drew random shapes on his chest. Sherlock's eyes were beginning to droop before he felt Kylie stiffen before she laid her hand flat on his chest and used it to help her sit up slightly looking him in the eyes.

"What?" he asked wondering what had just happened.

"The hotel," Kylie asked, "Why is it called the Castle?"

Sherlock looked at her, "It is essentially a maze on the inside. No one, knows how it is truly structured on the inside. It was constructed in the 80's and the owner used multiple builders to build it to keep the structure a secret."

Kylie thought for a moment, "Why would he try to keep it a secret? I mean who turns the hotel into a maze?"

Sherlock looked at her, she was on to something, "It was built as a murder house."

"Think about it," Kylie said, her eyes sparkling with intrigue, "A hotel, with a bunch of strangers, a maze and no where to run, no where to get out? It's a psychopath's dream home!"

Sherlock smiled at her before Kylie kissed him quickly and climbed out of bed, putting on her underwear and the clothes nearest to her, which happened to be Sherlock's purple shirt and threw it on as she walked out into the living room.

Sherlock couldn't help but feel the coldness of the empty spot next to me. She had been gone for two seconds and he was already missing her warmth. He rolled his eyes at himself, how did he turn into such a sap?

He pulled on his pants and followed her out into the living room where he saw Kylie booting up the laptop as she walked into the kitchen to put on the kettle. His breath was taken away. He had seen her in his shirt that morning, but there was something about her in his purple one that turned something inside of him.

She looked at the way the shirt hung off of her as she put water into the kettle. She had not buttoned it all the way allowing for him to see a bit of the lace of her bra. There was something about it. She was wearing his shirt, _his shirt_. He loved that shirt, but the fact that she was his, and she was wearing it some how made him love that shirt even more, especially when it was on her.

Kylie walked back out into the living room and smiled at him when she saw him standing there without a shirt.

"I could get used to this view," Kylie said grinning at him.

Sherlock felt his face begin to heat slightly as she laughed and walked over to him laying a hand on his chest and kissing him chastely.

Kylie went to pull away and go over to the laptop, when she felt his arms snake around her, holding her in place.

She chuckled into his lips before snaking her hands behind her and pulling Sherlock's hands off of her.

"Just let me see something," She told him before she went over to the computer and began search Internet sites on the Castle hotel.

"mm…" Kylie said smiling, "There."

Sherlock set a mug of tea for her on the table as he lent down to read over her shoulder.

"A conspiracy site?" Sherlock inquired skeptically as he read.

"Hey, sometimes these guys are the only ones to see patterns," Kylie told him, "And look, over the last 30 years, over 200 guests have disappeared after staying in that hotel."

"The killings are connected with the hotel somehow," Sherlock said grinning.

"Exactly," Kylie said as she pulled her legs under her and began to nurse the mug of tea in her hands.

**Review? Please? Make my day?**


	29. Chapter 29

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! Seriously you guys are AMAZING!  
**

**Wibblywobbilytimewimeygirl:**** Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoy the story line. That's a huge compliment!**

**Notyourlovemonkey:**** I completely agree with you. I know there are many theories on John and Sherlock's "true" relationship, and a lot of people see them as gay, which I can understand because it is a "modern-day version". I do not have any problem with homosexuality at all, in fact a couple of my best friends are gay, but I think that they definitely have a bromance. I can see why people think that they are a couple, but I really think that there is a double standard when it comes to best friends of the same sex. Women can be super close, hang out all the time, and make huge sacrifices for each other and share a place; but when two men do the exact same thing, they get made fun of slightly and people begin to question if there is something else going on. That's just my opinion. I think that John and Sherlock are just really good friends, but I can see how others can believe that there is something more. …sorry I ranted…**

**Thanks so much for reading! And so quickly, that is quite an accomplishment and means a lot to me!**

**OptimisticLivvy: ****…me too my dear…me too…**

**Oreal770:**** hahahah the bet is pretty high…. And yeah, I address that in this chapter and it will be explained a little more later! And thank you for saying that Sherlock is in character, you have no idea how much I worry about him being in character.**

**A huge thanks to ****Kiara d'Arc Erzsebeth, crimsiontigerlily, animemonkey13, skywrites, Elleari, Gwilwillith, Goldbee (The hotel is …well, sort of real…read the next note below…), thegirlwiththebrowneyes, thesheepenchanter, and sovor**** for their reviews! Each and everyone means a lot!  
**

**So I want to apologize this chapter took me so long to write. I went out of town wine tasting yesterday and got back super late. I know this chapter is short, but I am writing the next one right now, I just needed to get something up for you guys!  
**

**Also, I have had a couple people ask me if the Castle Hotel is real…well, sort of. This case is based on a real serial killer who turned a pharmacy into a hotel in Chicago, Il in the US during the world fair in 1889. If you guys thought the Ripper was messed up, get ready for this ride. At least the Ripper killed his victims first….**

**Anyway, I'm going to change it up because there's not too much information on this guy compared to the Ripper, but get ready for the ride!**

**Enjoy!**

"So, the hotel was first built in the late Victorian era by a Dr. Emmeret Holden," Kylie read to Sherlock as they were both sitting across from each other at the desk, laptops open as crime scene photos and scribbled on pieces of paper littered the table as they worked, "It looks like he ran a drug store with his wife until 1889 when Dr. Holden died from disease….cancer, it looks like."

"An employee took over the shop from them," Sherlock said, "The wife just ran off to Spain? Seriously? Just ran off and no one even questioned it? The yard was apparently more stupid then they are now." he asked looking at Kylie before muttering, "Didn't think that was possible."

"It was a different time Sherlock, they didn't even know what DNA was let alone have means to look at forensics," Kylie told him, "Even you would have problems solving cases in Victorian London."

"I would not!"

Kylie looked up at him skeptically before turning back down to her laptop, "Herman Mudgett took over the shop after Mrs. Holden disappeared. And he was the one to build the two extra stories and covert it to a hotel."

"Mudgett was the one to create the plans in the first place," Sherlock said looking at her, he remembered hearing this part, "He told others that he wanted this hotel to be an experience like none before, as a part of the Worlds Fair that was taking place that year. That's why he claimed to use 3 different builders, none of them knowing the real blueprints."

"Wait," Kylie said as she began to look at that conspiracy site once more, "The conspiracy theorists say that missing people began in 1890, right after the addition of the hotel."

"There's been over 200 disappearances since then? How have I never found this before?" Sherlock asked as he looked on the screen.

Kylie could tell he was beating himself up on the inside for missing this case. Others would most likely think that he was mad he missed a puzzle and it was his ego that was hurt, but Kylie knew better. Sherlock Holmes was a great man. Others belittled him to just be a brilliant man who had a perpetual need to stroke his ego, and at times they were right, but once you got to really know him, it was easy to see that he hated killing. He knew he had the power to stop these horrible crimes, and would never admit it, but he felt guilty that he hadn't found the killer before he killed again.

Kylie got up and yanked the purple shirt she was still wearing down to keep her slightly decent as she wandered over to where Sherlock was sitting and sat on the arm of the chair as he brooded over his laptop.

She ran a hand through his hair and trailed a hand down his bare back as she kissed his temple, "No one could have made the connection, this began over a hundred years ago. Plus who the hell believes conspiracy theorists anyway?"

"Kylie its obvious," Sherlock told her disgusted with himself slightly, "all of these people, mainly young women disappeared after staying or working at the hotel, and the owner gave poor excuses for them going missing. 'Oh she just went to California to visit relatives. She just liked it so much, she decided to stay.' 'Oh I don't know sir, she didn't tell me where she was going, but she said something about going to see her boyfriend in Yorkshire.' Its absurd that I haven't seen this before."

"Its not your fault Sherlock," Kylie told him as she rubbed circles on his back. He didn't respond just stared at the screen.

"So tell me," Kylie asked as her hand began to play with the hair at the nape of his neck, "if everyone thinks that the Castle is haunted, why do people still stay there? I mean how does it stay open?"

"Not many stay there, but its mainly thrill seekers and others who are skeptical of the beliefs. Not many stay there," Sherlock told her looking at her curiously, "So how does it stay open? I mean how do they pay their staff?"

"We need to find the employees," Kylie told him, "We need to question them."

Kylie grabbed her phone from across the table and began typing a message to Lestrade when her alarm on her phone went off.

"Crap," Kylie muttered as she leapt up and looked at Sherlock. "I cant believe that its seven already! I have to go. I have to get ready. I'm meeting the dean of the University in an hour at Bart's to talk about my job and sign paperwork and such."

Kylie began rushing around through the mess of furniture and boxes to her suitcases where she opened one up and began rummaging through it as she pulled out a pair of heels and a dress before leaping up and rushing into the bathroom.

Sherlock watched her curiously until the bathroom door shut. He wasn't even able to let a thought enter his mind when John and Mary? (Was that her name?) walked into the flat, only to stop when they caught sight of the boxes.

"What in the hell is all this?" John asked before his eyes fell on Sherlock, "And why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

Sherlock didn't even look at him, just glared at his computer screen.

"I think Kylie got a little love this morning," John's annoying girlfriend said with a smile.

"Oh for Gods sake," Sherlock muttered before getting up and storming out of the room and into his bedroom.

John turned to Mary, "Just leave him alone about it for a while. I mean even though it is EXTREMELY amusing, and I think I am having the time of my life holding this over his head, it just happened for them and they are still trying to figure out what is going on between them."

"Oh, I think they know exactly what is going on between them," Mary said smiling.

John sighed, "I know but this is literally the first relationship that he has ever had on the romantic front. I just don't want to harass him so bad that he leaves Kylie and shuts down to relationships forever….no matter how much fun it is to make fun of them."

Mary smiled and ran a hand up John's chest before she kissed him briefly, "You are a damn good friend."

John smiled and kissed Mary once more.

"Oh God, Seriously?" Sherlock said as he walked back into the room with a fresh shirt on, "cant you go to your flat and make out?"

John pulled away from Mary as Sherlock huffed and began looking through the pictures on the table.

John and Mary smiled at their friend before stepping apart.

"So," Mary said as she walked over to sit in the chair that Kylie had previously occupied, "I'm assuming Mycroft dropped off all of Kylie's old stuff?"

Sherlock looked up at her curiously, "you knew?" he asked.

Mary smiled at him, "We all knew the two of you would get back together. You're too perfect for each other."

Sherlock looked at her, without any idea of how to respond, when he was saved by Kylie walking out into the living room.

"Oh, hey guys," she said as she was putting on her earrings, holding her heels in one hand.

"Well look at you," Mary told her as she smiled at her.

Kylie was wearing a business like dress that fit her perfectly. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail and glasses adorned her face.

"Since when do you wear glasses?" Mary asked.

"Since I got a concussion," Kylie told her as she balanced and put on her heels, "It's probably temporary, but unless I can blow it up on a computer, I can't see it."

"Interview?" John asked as she began trying to find files around the flat.

"No, meeting with the dean," Kylie told him as she looked around her wildly, "I'm about to head over to Bart's."

Sherlock stood up and handed her the file she was looking for before grabbing his jacket off the chair, "I'll go with you, I want to take another look at the evidence."

Kylie smiled at him as she took the file from him and grabbed her coat and purse, as she headed out.

"You two coming with?" Kylie asked.

"I need to head to morgue," Mary told her.

"Come on John," Sherlock told him, "I need my blogger."

**#%$% *&**

"So why did we really come here?" John asked Sherlock as he leaned up against the counter of the lab, "I mean there is nothing new to look at for this case Sherlock. Oh and can I mention Mycroft has called me three times asking about the Thames House."

"I'll put my best man onto it," Sherlock told him as he looked through his microscope.

"No," John said shortly, "No, I am never doing that again. Not after the deal with the Bruce Partington plans."

"Why? You solved it," Sherlock said as he pulled away from the microscope and looked at the screen beside him.

"No, you did, as you so often reminded me for the next three months."

"What do you see?" Sherlock asked John as he showed him the screen.

John walked over to get a better look at the screen, raising an eyebrow at Sherlock, "It's the same thing Kylie showed us yesterday."

"This is from the first victim," Sherlock told him.

John looked back at the screen, "So he was defleshed and cremated as well?"

Sherlock nodded and opened his mouth to say something when the computer beeped, "Perfect," Sherlock said with a smile as he typed a few buttons on the computer before bringing up a photograph.

"Victor Melbourne?" John read.

"It's the first victim," Sherlock told him, "I was able to extract DNA from one of the osteons and got a hit in the system."

"He was a cop," John said reading, "A member of Scotland Yard."

"He must have been onto something," Sherlock said in his voice that John knew mainly meant he was talking to himself, "Otherwise, why would the killer kill him? He knew too much, it's the only reason to take the risk to kill a cop."

"You guys find anything?" Kylie asked as she walked into the lab, shoving a few files in her bag.

"The first victim was a member of the Yard," John informed her as she came around to look at the screen.

Kylie felt her breath catch in her throat as she recognized the face that stared back at her, "Victor?"

"You knew him?" John asked as Sherlock looked back at her slightly shocked.

"Yeah he was partnered with Dimmock. We never worked together, but he asked for my expertise a couple of times. His wife had just gotten pregnant," Kylie told them quietly.

"What did he ask you?" Sherlock asked.

Kylie just looked at him quizzically.

"What information did he want your expertise on?" Sherlock asked.

Kylie shook her head, "Just a couple sets of remains that had been sold to medical schools. Some of the higher end schools are able to afford real human skeletons for their students to practice on, people who have donated their bodies to science."

Sherlock looked back at the screen thinking while Kylie frowned.

"Why? Do you think he was connected to this?" Kylie asked.

Sherlock just sat there for a moment before he leapt up and grabbed his coat, walking out of the lab.

Kylie sighed and just looked at John, "You think that we would get used to his leaving without a word?"

John shook his head, "I don't think we ever will."

**#$#*#&  
**

"So you think that Victor was looking into something at the Castle Hotel that got him killed?" Kylie asked as they rode in the cab.

"Exactly, why else would the killer take the risk of killing at member of Scotland Yard?" Sherlock explained to her.

Kylie sighed, she liked Victor, he was a good man and a good detective. She had even been introduced to his wife. She had just found out that she was pregnant and she and Victor had been glowing with joy. Their child would now have to grow up without a father.

Kylie felt Sherlock cover her hand with his and his thumb stroke her hand calmingly. Kylie looked down at her hand and smiled before looking up to see Sherlock staring out of the window as the cab drove on. John smirked at them as he tried to avoid looking at them.

His friend really cared about the woman next to him. It was rare to see Sherlock Holmes be comforting. His idea of comfort was to bombard you with facts, cold hard rational facts, not be….emotionally supportive. Kylie was the only person that John had seen him like that with, he really loved her. Now, if he ever admitted that to himself or Kylie was another story.

"So what are we doing next? Talking to the hotel staff?" Kylie asked.

"That and look into cases that Victor Melbourne was working on," Sherlock said as the cab slowed and he shoved some bills at the driver before hopping out of the cab. Kylie climbed out after him, taking Sherlock's hand as he helped her out of the cab.

John shut the door as the three of them began to walk into Scotland Yard in hope that they would find some answers.

**Review? Make my day?**


	30. Chapter 30

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I love you guys! For real!**

**Here's the next chapter as promised! I hope you guys enjoy!**

Kylie, Sherlock, and John walked into the Yard and made their way to Lestrade's office. Kylie saw Mrs. Melbourne talking to Dimmock and stopped in her tracks. She was pregnant, almost due pregnant and looking worried beyond belief as she was talking to Dimmock. Kylie stopped and grabbed Sherlock's arm, forcing him to stop with her as well.

"Victor, you're sure its him?" she asked quietly.

Sherlock looked at her curiously, "Yes, of course. Why?"

Kylie sighed and looked over to Dimmock and Mrs. Melbourne before looking back at them, "Someone has to tell his wife."

Kylie walked over to Mrs. Melbourne and Dimmock and sat them down calmly as she took Mrs. Melbourne's hand and began explaining Victor's death.

Sherlock and John watched from afar as they saw Dimmock put his head in his hands and Mrs. Melbourne begin to cry.

Sherlock watched it curiously, he didn't understand how people grieved so much. Death was imminent. He watched Kylie with this woman and then he began to understand. He thought about if Kylie were to be taken from him, or John, he wouldn't know how he would react, he really did care about the both of them.

"She's good with victim's families," John commented, "Charlie told me that she's unfortunately had a lot of practice doing it from when they worked together."

Sherlock just watched her, she really was quite amazing. He didn't understand how someone could be so logical, so brilliant, and yet be such a kind, empathetic person. Kylie genuinely cared about almost everyone she met, and Sherlock had no idea why or how she was able to do it.

Kylie hugged Mrs. Melbourne and handing her a card before turning to Dimmock and laid a hand on his shoulder before hugging him also and walking back towards them.

"You okay?" John asked.

"I hate that part," Kylie said as she reached them and began to walk towards Lestrade's office.

Sherlock walked beside her and he grabbed her hand squeezing it slightly as if to tell her that everything was going to be okay.

John smirked, yep…he had it bad for this woman….

They walked into Lestrade's office to find not only Lestrade, but someone else also.

"Charlie," Kylie said smiling as she dropped Sherlock's hand to go and hug the handsome blond man.

John saw Sherlock frown, he didn't like being dropped by Kylie to go and hug her old partner. John needed to talk to him. Sherlock in denial about his feelings with someone was one thing, but possessive jealous Sherlock would be a whole new ballgame.

"Hey you," Charlie said as he looked her up and down appreciatively, "Like the glasses…and the outfit," Charlie told her before he smirked and took a step towards her. "Now, can you take them off, take your hair tie out, shake your hair, and say 'Mr. Edwards, do you know what the penalty is for an overdue book?'" He asked with a seductive smile.

John glanced at Sherlock whose hands where now clenched in fists, he doubted that he actually knew what Charlie was referencing (but then again, who knew with Sherlock), but it was quite obvious he was flirting with Kylie based on his body language.

Kylie just looked at Charlie for a moment, "tell me, do women actually fall for that crap? Because if so, our society's IQ is going to be sadly low."

Charlie smiled, "It works nine out of ten times."

Kylie looked at him and smacked the side of his head hard, causing Charlie to yelp slightly.

"That's for sexually harassing me," she told him as she walked towards Lestrade, "We need all of Victor Melbourne's case files and to interview all of the staff at the Castle Hotel."

Lestrade who had been smirking at the ordeal between Kylie and Charlie now frowned, "Melbourne's cases? Why? What does he have to do with this case?"

"He's dead," Sherlock said simply as he placed himself strategically between Charlie and Kylie, laying a protective hand on her lower back.

Lestrade gaped at him.

"He was the first victim," Kylie told him somberly, "DNA confirmed it."

Lestrade was silent trying to take in the information as he ran a hand down his face, "Someone needs to tell his wife, and Dimmock, God, how on earth do I tell them?"

"I already did," Kylie said softly.

Lestrade looked up at her in shock and then nodded in thanks.

"The files Lestrade…" Sherlock hinted, earning a look from Kylie.

"We're sorry Lestrade, we know the two of you were friends," Kylie said.

"We?" Charlie asked catching on.

Kylie rolled her eyes as Sherlock shut his and huffed to himself lightly.

"Thanks," Lestrade said before getting up, "I'll get you all of his case files."

"Every one he ever worked on," Sherlock told him as he walked out.

Kylie turned and looked at him, "He just lost a friend, can you be a little gentle with him?" she asked as she unconsciously rubbed his arm lightly.

"Oh, you two so did it," Charlie said grinning, earning a glare form both Kylie and Sherlock.

"Excuse me?" Kylie asked.

"You just said we, hinting that you two are back together, only proving that theory to be right when you began rubbing his arm. Plus him putting his hand on your back earlier didn't help disproving that theory." Charlie told them.

Kylie just looked at him as Sherlock glared at him also.

Charlie grinned, "Plus I don't have to cut through all of the sexual tension with a knife just to be able to see the two of you."

Sherlock grabbed Kylie's hand and dragged her out of the room and down the hallway to an empty room.

"Why on earth is everyone so fascinated by the fact that we are together?" Sherlock asked, highly annoyed as he paced the slightly darkened room.

"I don't know," Kylie said sighing. She really hoped that this wouldn't make him pull away from her out of embarrassment, "look I'm sorry. I don't want you to be embarrassed, so if you want you can tell everyone we broke up and we can keep it a secret if you want," Kylie told him looking down sadly. Having a secret relationship was better than fully losing him again.

"I'm not embarrassed," Sherlock told her simply while looking at her slightly confused.

Her head shot up and she looked at him, "You're not?"

"No," Sherlock told her, now extremely confused, "Why? Are you?"

"No!" Kylie told him, "I just thought….I just thought that…"

Sherlock just kept looking at her.

"I just thought that will all of this attention on us, you would pull away from me again, and I just don't want that to happen." Kylie said quickly, her voice softening throughout it as she looked at the ground.

Sherlock walked over to her and stopped in front her, reaching out and placing his hand softly under her chin, lifting her head to look at him.

"I'm not embarrassed," Sherlock told her pointedly as his thumb stroked her cheek, "I just don't understand why it is so fascinating to others."

Kylie looked at him before putting her hand on his as he held it to his cheek before she nodded. She stood up and walked into his arms, hugging him and nuzzling her head in the crook of his neck as she breathed in his comforting sent. Sherlock wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back slightly.

He couldn't help but thinking about how perfect she fit against his body and in his arms, and how comfortable it was just to stand here and hold her close. He never thought that he would see the day where human contact would become pleasurable or comfortable. But once more, this woman had proved him wrong.

Kylie pulled back and kissed him tenderly before pulling back and looking at him as she ran her hands down his chest, "Lestrade probably has the files by now."

Sherlock just looked at her and nodded before kissing her once more chastely and they walked out of the room.

"Dr. Gibbs? Mr. Holmes?"

Kylie and Sherlock froze, great…the one person that they wanted to see the least when they were walking out of a darkened, empty room.

They both turned around to see Dr. Witham standing there gaping at them as he was holding files.

"Are you two…?" he asked.

"Nope," they both lied before turning and walking away.

"Wait!" Witham said as he followed them down the hallway, "Were you two in there, alone? And when did you get back Dr. Gibbs?"

"Two days ago and no, there was a stripper in there too," Kylie said sarcastically.

"Wait what?" Witham asked as they walked into Lestrade's office.

"Laters," Sherlock said slamming the door shut in Witham's face and locking it behind them.

John, Lestrade and Charlie looked at them with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" Sherlock asked, "He's annoying."

Kylie stifled a laugh before turning her attention to the three boxes on the table, "Is this all of them?" she asked.

Lestrade nodded and sat down in his chair, "Every case he ever worked on."

Sherlock nodded, "We'll take it back to Baker Street," he said picking up one of the boxes.

Kylie went to grab one when Charlie and John grabbed them both from her.

"I can carry one you know?' Kylie said as they all went to leave.

"Well, I want to see your place," Charlie told her as they walked out.

"Sherlock," Lestrade said before he left the room.

Sherlock turned and looked at him slightly confused.

"Do you have a second?" he asked.

"We're working the case…"

"Just shut the door," Lestrade told him as he rolled his eyes.

Sherlock turned to see Kylie, John and Charlie walking out the door with the boxes and he dropped the box and shut the door behind him.

"Are you sure about this thing with you and Kylie?" Lestrade asked.

Now it was Sherlock's turn to roll his eyes.

"I'm serious Sherlock!" Lestrade said looking at him, "She loves you and it about killed her when you were a complete dick to her before she left London. You hurt her and I don't want to see her go through that hell again. That, and if you do hurt her, her father will skin you alive."

Sherlock looked at him.

"Don't start this with her again unless you are sure you care for her, because I know you. You're confused. You don't know how to deal with feelings, but you can't be wishy-washy anymore. You need to know," Lestrade told him.

Sherlock stood up and looked at him pointedly before picking up the box, "I'm sure" he said before he walked out of the room, leaving a stunned Lestrade behind.

**Review? Let me know what you think please!**


	31. Chapter 31

**A huge thanks to all of my reviewers! I love you guys like no other! I wish I had the time to respond to all of you, but I don't right now because I started working again on top of summer school. This chapter was written in bits and pieces as I took study breaks so I hope it makes sense. **

**I will try to PM you guys responses when I can if you have any questions and such. It's easier for me to respond at random times then do it on here. **

**Anyhow, thanks so much! And here's the next chapter! ….and everything about the case in this one is true…**

**And yes, there is a Castle Hotel. It was built over a pharmacy in 1889 and was burnt to the ground by an associate of the killer in 1896 after the killer was hung for his crimes. It's creepy…**

"What'd Lestrade want?" John asked as they waited by the taxi for him.

"Just to annoy me," Sherlock said as he climbed in the cab after Kylie.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kylie asked yawning as Sherlock settled next to her while John and Charlie climbed in across from them.

"Not sleep much last night?" Charlie asked with a grin.

Kylie and Sherlock both glared at him, "Yes, but not from what you are assuming. We were working the case Charlie," Kylie told him as she took off her glasses and tried to rub her eye without smearing her mascara.

"Yeah that's why Sherlock wasn't wearing a shirt when I walked in this morning," John said, not being able to help himself.

"Early morning delight?" Charlie asked with a grin.

"Both of you shut up," Kylie said before turning to John, "I am going to torture you so badly you'll be begging to get married tomorrow. I already had a chat with Mary about not sleeping with you until your wedding which is eight months away so get ready for your huge dry spell," she told him grinning, "and you," she said turning to Charlie, "You have no right to harass me about my sex life. At least it is just with one person and they don't steal my credit cards. This is a private thing between Sherlock and I and just because you like to share everything about your sex life, doesn't mean that I would like mine out in the open too."

John looked like a child who had had his candy taken away while Charlie was grinning at her.

"Don't knock it till you've tried it love," Charlie told her grinning.

Kylie rolled her eyes while Sherlock glared at him. Charlie became slightly uneasy by the stare. He stared unblinkingly until Kylie laid her head on his shoulder, bringing him out of what looked like to Charlie, his planning of Charlie's early demise.

Sherlock looked at her before tentatively laying a hand on her thigh, brushing his thumb up and down before he caught Charlie and John staring at him with a smile plastered on each of their faces. He quickly removed his hand and glared at the pair of them. He usually would have made a comment to them, but he didn't want to disturb Kylie. She was jetlagged and running off of relatively no sleep, so he settled for a death glare.

The cab finally slowed to a stop, waking Kylie from her slumber. She sat up and yawned once more as John and Charlie climbed out of the cab to get the boxes. Sherlock climbed out next to help the now sleepy Kylie out of the cab. She wavered slightly as she tried to stand up. The exhaustion had hit her as soon as she sat down in the cab. Sherlock steadied her with an arm around her waist. She smiled at him before thanking him and walking up to the door as Sherlock grabbed the last box.

The group made their way up to 221B as Kylie told them to excuse the mess and to make themselves at home, much to John's dismay since he still believed that this was his flat. Kylie then disappeared into her and Sherlock's bedroom to change.

"Kylie brought all of this?" Charlie asked looking around.

"Yeah," John said as Sherlock walked in the door, "Sherlock's brother kept it all in storage, unbeknownst to her.

"Wait," Charlie said freezing slightly as he looked around at the other stuff in the flat, "You live here too?" he asked Sherlock.

"Yes," Sherlock answered looking at him like he was drugged.

"She moved in with him?" Charlie asked gaping happily. He was going to have a field day with this.

"Charlie," Kylie said as she walked back in the room in her regular blue jeans and her father's sweat shirt with her hair down, "Shut up before I kick you in the scrotum so hard that you will never know you had testicles."

"I'm still trying to get them back from when you were my partner," Charlie told her as he began to open the box and pull out files.

Kylie smirked as she grabbed a stack, making her way over to the couch as Sherlock's phone began to go off. Kylie watched as he pulled it out and glanced at it before rolling his eyes and shoving it back in his pocket before sitting on the couch next to her with a box of his own.

Kylie raised an eyebrow at him, "Mycroft?" she asked.

Sherlock glared in annoyance at the files in front of him, so Kylie took that as a yes.

"You should go over there you know," Kylie stated as she curled her legs underneath her and began reading.

"Why? Why does Mycroft always try to bore me when someone is trying to be so delightfully interesting?" Sherlock told him.

"Because he's an arrogant sod with a power complex," Kylie told him still looking at the file, "but it is an interesting case."

Sherlock smirked as they looked through the files. Mycroft called each Sherlock, John, and Kylie about 15 times each throughout the day while they searched through the files until he finally called Charlie, which was his big mistake.

After about two minutes of talking to him, Mycroft hung up the phone. Apparently Mycroft didn't take too well to being interrogated about Kylie and Sherlock's relationship while hearing Kylie swear at Charlie while chucking files at him in the background.

After John had finally played parent and gotten Sherlock, Kylie, and Charlie to all stop bickering and Kylie to stop trying to hit Charlie by sitting them in opposing corners of the room, they finally began to connect the case.

They had been at it for hours. It was close to seven at night and Sherlock was the only one who was truly focused. John kept reading the same line multiple times while Charlie was spacing out against the wall. Sherlock was only brought out of his train of thought when Kylie's head fell on his shoulder once more. He looked at her before he realized he was beginning to smile at her and quickly hid it by turning back to his file he was reading. They all remained like this for another hour or so before Sherlock sat up straight.

"That's it!" He said as Kylie was startled by the sudden movement and almost knocked her glasses off of her own face, "Oh that's cleaver, that's oh so very cleaver."

"What's cleaver?" Kylie asked suppressing a yawn as she straightened her glasses.

"Oh it all makes sense now," Sherlock ranted.

"Great he's doing the look again," John muttered.

"The look?" Charlie inquired while Sherlock was still ranting and beginning to make Kylie pull of her sweatshirt.

"Sherlock what the hell?" Kylie exclaimed as he lifted the sweatshirt over her head and thrusted her jacket at her.

"The we all know what's going on here look that he does when he is the only one who knows what's going on," John explained to Charlie as he began to get up.

"I don't know why I didn't see it before, it's ingenuous!" Sherlock continued to rant as he put on his coat and scarf and grabbed Kylie by the hand and pulled her out the door and down the stairs.

Charlie stared out the door for a moment before turning to John, "Well, I guess we are leaving then?"

John grabbed his coat and keys as they walked out of the flat together, "Welcome to life in 221B Baker Street," he told Charlie as they rushed to catch up to Sherlock and Kylie.

**%#$ #**

"University of London?" Kylie asked as they all got out of the cab and began to walk towards the doors, "Sherlock, what in the hell is your connection?"

"The skeletal models," Sherlock told them, "there are thirty of them from a _Blue Shield_ body donor program."

"Blue shield?" Kylie asked, "I've never heard of them before."

Sherlock smiled, "That's because they don't exist."

"Wait?" Charlie said as his eyes almost popped out of his skull, "You're saying that someone was selling bodies that weren't donor bodies?"

"Someone was selling murder victims," Sherlock said as he opened the door to the Anthropology lab.

"That's absurd," Kylie said as he began to look around the lab, opening doors and such before closing them again quickly while the rest just watched him, "If they were murder victims its would show up easily on the skeletal remains. People would know."

"Experts would know," Sherlock said as he took out a model, "But it's well disguised."

Kylie raised an eyebrow at him, "Sherlock that's an exploded skull, it's supposed to look like that so students can see what blunt force trauma looks like."

"Take a look at it," Sherlock said holding it out for her.

Kylie rolled her eyes and walked over to look. She felt her heart sink into her stomach as she began to notice small details etched in the bone.

"Oh my God," Kylie said as she bent closer to look.

"What?" Charlie asked.

"The model," Kylie said looking at it closely, "When these are made, they take a real skull after it has been defleshed by insects and then they take a dremel tool and file it down an cut the skull to make it look like it had been hit. They then remove the sutures and separate it out into its different parts like this and give it a sort of 'blown up' look in order for students to look at the damage done internally and externally to each and every bone in the skull."

"Okay, so…" Charlie asked, still not quite understanding what was going on.

"Are you really that thick?" Sherlock asked becoming extremely annoyed as he began pulling out more models for Kylie to look at.

"A dremel tool leaves specific markings, but they are too difficult for most students to find. This skull, doesn't have any," Kylie said looking at John and Charlie before becoming extremely interested in another part of the skull.

"So the guy was killed by a blunt force trauma?" John asked, "Could still be an accident, car crash maybe?"

"Yeah then why is there acid marking in the bone?" Kylie asked, "This man's body was cleaned using acid, most like sulfuric acid. What donor agency used acid on body?"

"They are murder victims," John said breathlessly as Kylie began looking at other models.

"This guy covers up his murders by selling remains as models to universities," Sherlock told them.

"Do we know who runs Blue Shield?" John asked as Charlie looked up from his phone that he had been typing on throughout this entire conversation.

"Blue Shield enterprise is owned and operated by Winston Mudgett," Charlie said.

Kylie and Sherlock looked at each other.

"What?" Charlie asked.

"Mudgett, as in Herman Mudgett," Kylie said breathlessly.

"As in the original builder of the Castle Hotel who passed it down through his family to his grandson, Winston," Sherlock told her.

"They are killing people at the Castle Hotel and selling their bodies," Kylie said.

"I guess we know how the staff is paid," Sherlock said as they turned back to the models.

**Review? Let me know what you think!**


	32. Chapter 32

**Thanks so much to all of those who reviewed! Seriously, my life is hell right now due to physics and I get to smile every time I see a review! You guys make my day!  
**

**Also, sorry about cleaver instead of clever, that's what I get for not proof reading and multitasking when I write.**

**Here's a whole Shylie chapter for you! Happy early birthday ChelGallifreya221B613!**

**Enjoy!**

Finally, at around midnight, Kylie and Sherlock walked into Baker Street carrying four large boxes full of murder victim medical models.

Kylie set her two boxes down and looked at the bunch of boxes around her helplessly. She had so much to do. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair as he stomach growled. She had forgotten what life was like with Sherlock on a case. Knowing him, there would be no food in the flat. She hadn't eaten all day and now it was catching up with her. She needed to go to the store and at this time of night, everything was closed.

She looked up when she felt eyes on her. She saw Sherlock staring at her curiously. She just smiled at him briefly before picking up one of the boxes Mycroft had put in storage and began to walk up the stairs to John's room….well her room…well the spare room…

She opened the door and was surprised to find her old bed already set up. She smiled, at least Mycroft was good for something. She set down the box of kitchenware and noticed the closet. Kylie raised and eyebrow, walk-in? She hadn't even unpacked her clothes or been able to get settled yet due to the whirlwind her life had been since she arrived, but knowing Sherlock and his anally organized sock index, she would hardly get any room in his dresser or closet. Good thing they had two rooms.

Kylie sighed and walked back down the stairs once more to find Sherlock looking at the models with a magnifying glass once more. She grabbed a suitcase and her box of hangers and made her way back up the stairs.

"What are you doing?" she heard Sherlock say from the living room. Knowing him, he hadn't even bothered to look up and notice she wasn't in the room anymore.

"Unpacking!" Kylie called from the room as she set the suitcase on top of the bed and began unloading the contents. She smiled as she saw her pictures that she loved so much. She took out the ones of her father, mother, sister, Tony, Ziva, Abby, McGee, John and Mary, and she stopped on the one she had of her and Toby.

God she missed that dog. Before coming to London, she knew Toby couldn't live in Baker Street. He was active, he needed a yard to run and play in. Plus, God knows what experiments Sherlock would preform on him. She was going to give him to Charlie, but when he had decided to come to London as well when Lestrade offered him a job she couldn't anymore. Then it had dawned on her. In San Diego, she had lived next to a family with a few young children. One of the girls, Rose, was about 6 and whenever Kylie was out front with him, excitement covered her little face. Toby was good with her, and that little girl adored him. She knew the parents and knew that he would be loved, so she had given Toby to them. It was hard leaving him, but she knew that he would be better off there.

Kylie sighed as she took the rest of the pictures and set them on the bed before beginning to take out her clothes and hang them up in the closet, thankful that Mycroft had had the movers bring her heavy dresser up the stairs and into the room.

She shook her head as she unpacked, her life was almost surreal to her at the moment. She was back in London, solving cases, with a great job and a wonderful man at her side. It had all happened so quickly once more it seemed like a dream. She thought back to the first night in London and couldn't help the smile that came over her face. It had been wonderful, utterly and completely wonderful. She had been frightened for a long time about what her first time after being assaulted would be like. She had thought she may freak out, those memories coming back to her, but it hadn't. It almost seemed to push them away. She just felt so safe, so loved in Sherlock's arms that it hadn't been a problem at all.

She finished the contents of the first suitcase and zipped it up before turning around only to be startled by Sherlock standing in the doorway. He looked at her in slight confusion.

"What are you doing?" He asked her.

"Unpacking," she responded with a raised eyebrow, "There's not enough room in your closet for all of my clothes so I figured I'd just put them in here."

"Oh," Sherlock said as he just looked at her.

Kylie looked at him, why was he acting awkward again?

"Is that okay?" she asked, "Or would you prefer something else?"

Sherlock shook his head slightly, "Its fine."

Kylie raised an eyebrow at him before walking over and putting her arms around him and kissing his lips.

"You sure about that?' she asked when she pulled away only slightly.

"I'm always sure," Sherlock told her as he captured her lips in his once more.

"uh-huh," Kylie said as she gave him one more quick peck before pulling away and putting her suitcase in the closet.

She turned around to see a dejected looking Sherlock and Kylie couldn't help but laugh at him.

His face then contorted into confusion at her laughter.

"Try not to look so dejected," she laughed.

"I'm not dejected," Sherlock said straightening up slightly as Kylie approached him.

"Just keep telling yourself that," Kylie said smiling as she kissed his cheek and walked down the stairs to get her next suitcase.

Sherlock just stood there trying to figure out what was going on. He wasn't slow or thick, he knew that, but why on earth was he so confused by this conversation?

Kylie came back up the stairs lugging a suitcase with a slight wince and tilt. Sherlock knew immediately it was her shoulder. He kicked himself, why on earth hadn't he done it for her? It had only been two and a half weeks since she had been stabbed. He snatched the suitcase from her and placed it on the bed before turning to her.

"What did you do to it?" he asked.

"Nothing its fine," Kylie told him trying to brush it off as she flinched as he gently touched it.

Sherlock raised an eyebrow at her.

"Fine," Kylie said giving in, "I did something to it, but its fine."

"Let me have a look at it," Sherlock asked her.

Kylie smirked and raised an eyebrow at him, "Are you just trying to get me to take my clothes off?" She joked as Sherlock could see the pain in her eyes.

Sherlock looked at her, "No, I just want to take a look at your shoulder," he said simply.

Kylie rolled her eyes as she tried to play off that she was okay. She tried to take off her jacket and yelped slightly as the jacket pulled her shoulder in an extremely painful way.

Sherlock flinched at her pain as he dove to try to help her with the jacket, leaving her in her t-shirt. He began to slowly lift it up trying to be sure not to hurt her anymore. Once the shirt was successfully off, he drew in a sharp breath at her shoulder. It was purple with bruising, she had hurt it not five minutes ago and it was already dark purple, almost black from the edge of her collarbone and it was spreading down her arm. Her scar looked angry and red and the surrounding tissue was well on its way to swelling. Sherlock gently touched it as Kyle flinched away immediately wincing. Her shoulder was hot to the touch. Redness, bruising, swelling, heat…all signs of severe injury.

"Come on," Sherlock said as he grabbed her shirt and coat and ushered her down the staircase and into the living room where he went into the kitchen and came back with a bag of…well, something.

"Ice your shoulder with this, you need to keep the swelling out," he told her handing her the bag as he walked over the desk to his phone and then went into their room.

Kylie looked at the bag only to be horrified, and yet not surprised.

"Are these human fingers?" Kylie asked him as he walked out holding a tank top and her father's sweatshirt.

"Its an experiment," Sherlock shrugged, "Hold it to your shoulder will you?"

Kylie just stared at him, "Sherlock, I am not icing my shoulder with a bag of frozen human fingers. Seriously, we have a bag of fingers but not ice?"

Sherlock rolled his eyes at her before taking the bag of fingers from her and setting them on the table before turning to her with the shirt.

"I'll just put on the sweatshirt," Kylie told him, "its not that cold in here anyway."

"I'm not letting John see you in just that," Sherlock told her.

"John?" Kylie said looking at him.

John and Charlie had gone their separate ways after the University. Charlie was staying in a hotel near the yard, while John had returned to his and Mary's place.

"Yes, John. He's a doctor now isn't he?" Sherlock said impatiently.

"I'm fine," Kylie told him, "All I need is a little rest. Which is what I am going to do, once I finish unpacking." Kylie said as she tried to move her shoulder slightly, yelping slightly at the pain it gave her.

Sherlock flinched at the pain across her face before he grabbed her other arm and turned her to face him.

"You are hurt," he told her, "You need to be examined by a doctor. Now, can you please put this shirt on so we can go see John?"

"I'm fine!"

"PLEASE?"

Kylie looked at him, slightly taken aback. For the first time ever, she saw Sherlock freaking out slightly, ever so slightly. She could tell he was worried about her, and as much as her shoulder was killing her she really didn't want to go see John who would lecture her, then lecture Sherlock, then annoy Sherlock, then Sherlock would be pissy for the next three days, and she would be in a sling for eternity. It was his face though, she couldn't make him anymore worried.

"Okay," Kylie said quietly as she allowed Sherlock to assist her put on the tank top and sweatshirt as gently as possible before allowing herself to be dragged out of the flat and into a cab.

**%#$ *& **

"WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL?" they heard John say from the other side of the door as Sherlock pounded on the door.

Kylie sniggered slightly as they heard a crash and then a lot of swearing coming from John before he opened the door, wild eyed and angry with his hair a mess while he was in his bathrobe.

"Sherlock?" John asked in disbelief…but not really…John had lived with him long enough to know better…."Do you realize what time it is?"

"Of course," Sherlock said as he began to walk into John and Mary's flat, "Kylie's hurt."

John's face became complete void of anger and one of concern as he turned to look at her.

"I'm fine," Kylie told him, "I just need some ice."

"She's not fine." Sherlock told John pointedly.

"Where?" John inquired as Mary came out of the bedroom.

"John, what's going?" she began before seeing Sherlock and Kylie standing there.

"Oh hey," Mary said walking up to Kylie and hugging her. The second Mary's body touched her shoulder, Kylie yelped loudly even though she tried her best to keep it in.

Mary leapt back looking at her friend with wide eyes, "Are you okay?"

"Let me guess," John told her, "Shoulder?"

"I'm fine," Kylie said stubbornly as Sherlock sighed loudly, earning himself a glare.

"Let's take a look then," John said as he walked over and began to help Kylie with her sweatshirt.

"Jesus," John exclaimed when he caught sight of it, "what in the hell did you do?"

"Being an idiot," Sherlock said as he wandered about the flat deducing all he could.

"Unpacking," Kylie told him.

"Kylie you were stabbed two and a half weeks ago!" John began to lecture as both Kylie and Sherlock rolled their eyes while John was looking at her shoulder.

"You definitely did some damage," John told her, "A lot of damage to the repairing tissue." John pulled away and looked at her suddenly, "Are you supposed to still be in a sling?"

Kylie just looked at her nails on the other hand.

"SERIOUSLY?" Sherlock said, his voiced raised.

Kylie scoffed, "Says you! When we were in that car wreck in DC you were supposed to be in one for a month and you lasted, what six hours?"

"That's different!"

"How is it different?"

"I wasn't stabbed."

"We got blown up in a car!"

"okay BOTH of you!" Mary said trying to get some control on the situation.

John smiled, God he loved that woman.

"So you need to ice it, a lot," John told Kylie pointedly, "And rest it, yes that means a sling and I'll know if you took it off. I'll look at it tomorrow, you may need a scan and surgery, but lets hope not. Oh and don't lift anything!" John said as if it were common sense as he got his med bag out of the closet.

"I'm going to give you something for the pain," John told her as he filled a syringe.

"I'm fine John," Kylie said as Mary handed her a bag of ice and a sling.

"Seriously?" Kylie said looking at her, "You two just have slings laying around the house?"

"We're both Doctors," Mary said shrugging as she helped Kylie put it on, taking ceran wrap and using it to wrap the ice bag gingerly around her shoulder, keeping it in place. Mary then helped her to put her sweatshirt on, leaving her left arm out as it was held still by the sling and the ice.

John then knelt down and pushed Kylie's sleeve up, wiping it with alcohol.

"John, I don't need pain meds," Kylie complained.

"I can see the pain on your face, plus your blood pressure is way high and heart rate is accelerated," John told her as he inserted the needle and gave her the dose.

Kylie felt the drugs as soon as it entered her blood stream.

John turned to Sherlock and picked something out of his kit and handed it to him discretely, "Look, she's going to be in a lot of pain, probably have trouble sleeping. I'll come by and check on her tomorrow but if she cant sleep tonight, just slip a quarter of this in her tea, no more."

Sherlock nodded in thanks and pocketed the vile as he walked over to Kylie and tried to help her up, only to have her knees buckle slightly beneath her. Sherlock caught her with a strong arm around her waist.

Kylie looked at him and smiled a smile that Sherlock had never seen before. Her eyes glazed over by the drug, "Hheeeeey!"

"Oh God," Mary said trying to stifle a laugh.

"You smell good," Kylie said as she leaned into Sherlock and shoved her head into the crook of his neck, breathing in deeply.

Sherlock just looked at John and Mary with a wide expression as they both grinned at him.

"Have a good night," John said with smile.

**% $# *&**

"Kylie for the last time, I am not a pirate!" Sherlock complained as he practically carried his girlfriend into their flat, making sure she was careful not to bump her shoulder at all.

"Yeah," Kylie said as she stumbled slightly and Sherlock's hands went out to steady her, "but you wanted to be…Sherrrhook!" Kylie slurred slightly.

"Don't be absurd Kylie," Sherlock told her as he tried to get her into the bedroom.

"Its adorable!" Kylie gushed before she straightened up and gaped, "We should play it in the bedroom!"

"oh dear Lord," Sherlock muttered. He didn't quite understand what she was on about, but if it was similar to one of the services on Irene's website that he had looked up when he was working her case, this was not going to end well.

"You could be the pirate Captain Sherhook and I could be…"Kylie stopped and wavered slightly as she looked at her hands, "Why are my fingers tingly?" Kylie asked as she turned too abruptly causing her to lose her balance and Sherlock to catch her once more.

She began laughing as Sherlock couldn't help but smile. God she was annoying right now, but she was adorable. She moved her arm to hug him and buried her head in the crook of his neck once more.

Sherlock wrapped his arms around her as he felt the ice bag. He needed to get that off and her into bed. Sherlock pulled away reluctantly and began to lift up Kylie's sweatshirt.

"I'm tired," Kylie complained to him as she lifted her right arm up over her head so that Sherlock could pull off the shirt.

"I just need to take this off," Sherlock told her as he began to pull gently on the ceran wrap.

"What? My shirt?" Kylie said smiling her drug induced smile.

"The ice bag," Sherlock responded trying to get the ice off of her as fast as he could.

"You can take my shirt off too," Kylie giggled, "You see, I think you are seven different types of sexy."

Sherlock looked up at her, who in the hell was this person? He wanted his Kylie back.

"Okay," Sherlock said as he pulled off the bag of ice and dropped it on the floor, "Lets get you to bed."

"Are you gonna stay?" Kylie asked, her big blue eyes wide with intrigue.

"I have to work," he told her as he pulled back the covers and made sure she laid down slowly and carefully, covering her up when she was.

"Stay!" Kylie said trying to reach out with her splinted arm, only to yelp in pain once more.

Sherlock's heart broke as he saw the pain on her face. He brushed some hair out of her eyes and kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight."

Sherlock walked out into the living room once more and looked at the models once more before moving himself to his couch, lying down and folding his hands in front of him.

He was brought out of his train of thought by Kylie, who had dragged the comforter out of bed with her, standing in front of him.

"Kylie, you need to sleep," Sherlock told her as he still stared at the ceiling, deep in thought.

"I can't," she said in a small quiet voice, the drugs still raging through her system, "I can't sleep with out you next to me."

Sherlock shut his eyes. He really needed to work, but this was the only way she was going to sleep.

"Come here," Sherlock said as she walked over to him. Sherlock gently took the comforter from her and laid her down gently on the other side of him, so she was trapped between the couch and himself, ensuring her safety. Kylie nuzzled into chest happily as he covered them up with the comforter. Sherlock began playing with her curls as his mind cleared itself, its like all the worlds problems had melted away, allowing him to think far more quickly and clearly that he ever had before.

Maybe instead of nicotine patches, he just needed this woman asleep on his chest?

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	33. Chapter 33

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I know that last chapter was a little too fluffy for most! (And yes, I do know where that is from Optimistic Livvy!) **

**Also, I hate doing this because I get mad when others do it, but the picture that is the cover of this story is sort of what I imagine Kylie looking like (I've had a few people ask…Sheep Enchanter, I PMed you, though I'm hoping it was you so let me know if I PMed a random person!). Its Gemma Alerton if anyone knows who that is… **

**And Happy birthday to ChelGallifreya221B613!**

**Anyways here's the next chapter!**

Kylie felt pain, a lot of pain. A lot of pain and soreness.

What in the hell had happened?

Why was she feeling this?

Kylie opened her eyes. She was laying on the couch in the living room. She looked down, her shoulder was still in its sling, but it had been propped up in the proper position by the union jack pillow that someone had propped underneath it.

Sherlock.

Kylie looked around as she sat up, wincing slightly. She saw Sherlock sitting there with a file open in his lap as he looked at her blankly.

Kylie smiled at him as she ran her good hand through her hair, "Morning."

"Good morning," Sherlock said in a slightly weird tone that Kylie was really too tired to analyze.

"You get any sleep?" she asked as she winced standing up.

Sherlock furrowed his eyebrows at her in concern, "What are you doing?"

Kylie stopped as she was walking towards John's old room, her phone in hand, "Getting clothes so I can shower," she said as she walked up the stairs, holding the railing the entire time.

Kylie walked into the room and sighed at the suitcase that still lay on her bed, she still had a lot of unpacking to do.

She unzipped the suitcase and began to try to unpack with one arm when she heard footsteps behind her.

"Did you sleep at all last night?" Kylie asked without turning around, knowing full well that it was Sherlock behind her.

"I was working," he replied simply, "I thought you were just getting clothes?"

"I have to unpack them first," Kylie said getting frustrated with a hanger and only being able to use one hand.

Sherlock sighed before walking over and snatching the hanger and clothes out of her hands.

"Hey!" Kylie objected before Sherlock threw the clothes down and began looking at her shoulder.

Kylie looked at him as his eyes surveyed her, looking for any subtle differences from the night before. It was definitely more swollen and much darker than it had been the night before, but that was to be expected.

"I'll live Sherlock," Kylie told him as she saw the worry etched into his face.

Sherlock just gave her a look before returning to his investigation of her shoulder. He gingerly touched it to feel for heat. She winced slightly, but less than she did last night.

Good, it was not hot like it had been. It was the bruising and her rapid heart rate that had him worried. He could tell that she was in pain. She needed more pain meds.

"Where in the hell is John?" Sherlock said before walking out.

"Sherlock! I'm just taking ibprophen! I hate whatever that was John gave me last night. Plus, I know I drive you insane when I'm like that!" Kylie called after him.

When he didn't respond, Kylie rolled her eyes and grabbed her clothes before walking down the stairs and into the living room to find a very anxious Sherlock.

She raised an eyebrow at him as he paced the living room, cursing at his phone under his breath as he texted, whom she assumed was John. Kylie walked up to him, setting her clothes down on the table and pried the phone from his hands, pulling it away from him. He just looked at her in a way that reminded Kylie of a child who had just had their candy taken away.

She set the phone down and turned back to him, putting her hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at her.

"I'm fine," she told him firmly before leaning in to kiss him tenderly.

Sherlock didn't move, he didn't want to hurt her. Her shoulder was sensitive, he didn't want to hold her and exaggerate her pain anymore, no matter how badly he found himself wanting to hold her.

….Who on earth had he become?...Seriously…

Kylie pulled back and looked at him once more, searching his eyes for understanding, "Really, I am. So please just stop fretting and catch this psychopath?"

"I'm not fretting," Sherlock told her.

Kylie raised an eyebrow at him while Sherlock just stared at her blankly.

Kylie sighed and turned around. She grabbed one of the files they hadn't touched yet and looked at it briefly.

"There's an inconsistency in the people who sold the models," She told him, "The first and only employee of Blue Shield donor group was Winston Mudgett, and yet these models according to Victor's research were sold by two others as well."

Sherlock snatched the file from her and took a seat at the desk, cursing himself for not getting through all the files yet. Everyone that they had found the corresponding model, Winston Mudgett had sold to them.

Kylie smiled at him. She knew that would get him going back on the case. She had read it last night, right before the model ordeal. She had kept it to herself because….well, she really didn't know why she had, but she was glad that she did.

Kylie grabbed her clothes and slipped off unnoticed into the bathroom to shower as Sherlock forgot about fretting and more engrained in the case at hand.

Kylie walked out of the bathroom fully dressed and freshly showered. Sherlock was exactly where she had left him a half hour ago.

"It's the same name," Sherlock said a loud after Kylie had just made herself comfortable in an armchair.

"Over and Over again," Sherlock continued as he finally turned to look at her, "He has… when did you shower?"

"I've been gone for a half-hour," Kylie said raising her eyebrow at him as she got up and wandered over to where he sat, perching herself of the arm of his chair.

"Where's your sling?" Sherlock asked, noticing the fact that she was wincing slightly at every movement that her shoulder went through.

"So, he has an accomplice?" Kylie asked picking up a file while trying to get Sherlock onto a new topic.

"John said you need to wear it."

"Since when do you listen to what John says?"

"Since he actually began to make rational sense on most things."

"John's always made rational sense, you just never pay attention to it because you are so focused on being right."

"I always am."

"You usually are."

"Your point is?"

"My point is, is that you listen to John now, but you never listen to him when you are hurt. Therefore, rationally, I should be given the same discretion."

Sherlock remained silent as he glared at her slightly. Kylie smiled, she had won this round.

"So we know that the killer is Mudgett and he has an accomplice by the name of Henry Pitzel," Kylie began before Sherlock cut her off.

"We don't know he's the killer."

Kylie gave him a look, "You've made cases on a lot less than someone selling bodies."

"That's the only thing we know," Sherlock told her, "We know that Mudgett sold the bodies, but it could have been either him or Pitzel who killed them."

Kylie nodded before picking up a model of a human shoulder and arm. It had been hinged together with metal so as to keep the bones in the anatomically correct position. Kylie grabbed her glasses and began to look at it carefully. The only reason they had pulled it out was because of the miniscule acid marking on the ulna, but as Kylie surveyed it closely, she saw something else.

"This person's shoulder was dislocated," she said, as she looked at the ball and socket joint.

"You see the rough edge along the head of the humerus?" she pointed out to Sherlock, "That is where the tendon of the supraspinatus lies. The tendon was completely ripped away when the shoulder was pulled out of its socket. It's a common rotator cuff injury with dislocation."

"So the victim dislocated their shoulder at some point in their life," Sherlock told her, "We need _relevant_ information Kylie. This is why you need to put your sling on, pain makes you stupid."

Kylie glared at him, "It's a fresh injury, meaning it was dislocated around the time the person was killed."

Sherlock looked at her, "Defensive wound."

"Exactly," Kylie said smiling at him, "The person struggled as the killer grabbed them, and subsequently dislocated their shoulder, tearing the tendon."

Sherlock opened his mouth to say something when John and Mary walked into the flat.

"I told you to wear the damn sling Kylie," John criticized as he saw her perched on Sherlock's chair.

"I'm fine John," Kylie told him as he walked over to her to look at it, setting a grocery bag on the table and came over to look at it.

"Its swollen, but it looks better than I thought it would," John told her as he checked her out.

"We brought you ice," Mary told her.

"Thanks, its better than icing with a bag of fingers," Kylie shot at Sherlock.

Mary laughed and handed her a bagel, "Got you breakfast too. You sure you are up for shopping today?"

"I just have to sit there and tell you how pretty you look in a dress," Kylie said as she took the bagel and placed the ice in the freezer with her good arm, "I think I can manage."

"You're not leaving," Sherlock told her.

"Yes, I am," Kylie said taking a bite of the bagel as Mary grabbed her sling, "You can live without me for a few hours and Mary needs to find a dress to marry this guy in."

"You're hurt," Sherlock told her, thinking this was a grand justification for her staying at Baker Street.

Kylie laughed, "I have a bruise. I think I can sit and go look at wedding dresses."

Sherlock just looked at her.

Kylie smiled as she winced slightly trying to put on her jacket. Sherlock leapt up and helped her put it on. She turned around as she was pulling her hair out of the jacket and smiled at him before kissing him on the cheek, "I'll be fine. I'll even wear the sling if it makes you feel better."

Mary smiled as she helped Kylie put her sling on, "I'll be sure she's not too crazy."

Kylie looked at him before kissing his cheek once more and whispering "love you" to him so quietly only he could hear it before she grabbed her purse and walked out of the door with Mary.

John sat down across from Sherlock and looked at him watch her leave.

"You two have been together twenty-four seven since she got here haven't you?"

Sherlock just stared at him blankly.

"Its perfectly normal Sherlock," John said as he leaned his elbows on the table, "To miss her I mean, you two have finally established what seems like a permanent connection…."

"Nothing is permanent," Sherlock told him.

"You're missing the point."

"I wasn't aware there was a point to this rambling."

John rolled his eyes, "Sod it, you know what never mind." He pinched the bridge of his nose, "I cant believe I'm asking you this now that you've already been an annoying dick, but I guess that shouldn't surprise me."

Sherlock furrowed his eyebrows at John.

"As an annoying dick as you are, you are my best friend Sherlock. Usually at weddings, the best friend takes on the roll of the best man."

Sherlock looked at him for a moment trying to get at what John was hinting.

"You want me to be your best man?" Sherlock asked.

"Will you?" John inquired.

**#$ % * &**

Kylie laughed as Mary was in the changing room, "John is asking Sherlock to be his best man? John does know that Sherlock will have to make a toast, in which he will most likely insult everyone there and may ruin the whole day."

Mary laughed, "What's a wedding without a little drama? I mean you are the maid of honor, it only made sense. Well, that and he is John's best friend. Plus I'm used to his crap now."

Kylie raised an eyebrow at her as she sipped the complimentary mimosa the boutique had given her, "You got used to him when I was in the States?"

"The man was a mess," Mary told her, "A raging dick, but a mess. John felt so bad for him and so did I, so we hung out at baker Street a lot and endured chaotic experiments, a lot of sad violin composing, and him deducing everything that we did. I even tried to punch him once."

Kylie laughed, "I think I would have paid to see that."

Mary was silent for a moment; "You did the right thing by going to San Diego. He needed that time to wake up and smell the roses. He really missed you, he had for a while, but you not there really solidified that in his head."

Kylie smiled at her drink, "I wasn't going to come back. He asked me to move in with him on a whim after he found out John was moving in with you."

"Okay first of all, he asked you to move in with him?" Mary gaped from behind the dressing room door as she was trying to fit on the many layers of the gown.

"Yeah, I think it was only because he didn't want to be alone."

"So why did you come back if you were so set on not?"

Kylie was silent for a moment, "He told me he loved me," she said quietly.

Mary was silent for a moment, trying to process the information, "You're kidding? Sherlock Holmes actually admitted it? I mean we all knew he did, but he actually told you?"

Kylie laughed, a huge smile on her face, "Yeah, it took him by surprise too. He literally ran away and came back to London right after he said it."

"So you waited two weeks to come back?"

"I had to with my concussion."

Mary laughed, "So you showed up at his door and jumped him?"

Kylie laughed as her grin got even bigger, "Yeah, pretty much."

"So…. How was it?"

"MARY!"

"What? You two had the most frustrating sexual tension! You made small animals around the world horny it was so bad."

Kylie snorted, "It was not that bad."

"…. Yeah it was…"

Kylie was silent.

"Soo…..?"

"I'm not telling you!"

"Oh come on Kylie!" Mary whined, "John and I are abstaining for the next eight months! You got to give me something! I'm vicariously living through you now!"

Kylie smiled; she had gotten her revenge on John.

"It was wonderful, absolutely wonderful, and that is all I will say."

The door opened as Mary walked out, "You can't just give me that!"

Kylie smiled at her friend, she looked stunning. The gown was mainly lace as it clung to her body in an extremely flattering way. The dress dipped down, showing some skin and a low back, but all in all she looked gorgeous.

"Mary, you look amazing," Kylie told her as she stood up.

Mary looked in the mirror and her breath was taken away slightly, "Kylie, I'm getting married…"

Kylie grinned, "I know. And I hate to say this, because this is the first dress, but I really think that this is the one."

Mary looked in the mirror, "its gorgeous…"

"John's going to stroke when he sees you in it," Kylie told her grinning.

"Well, he probably will anyway when Sherlock gives his toast anyway," Mary joked.

Kylie laughed as they admired the dress a little longer.

Mary then went back into dressing room and began to try on gown after gown, none comparing to the first one.

Mary walked out in a frilly, princess gown that had huge lace flowers throughout the skirt of the dress. She just stopped as Kylie tried not to burst out laughing at her look of misery.

"I look like a fucking Dalek," Mary said as Kylie began to laugh even harder.

"Really? Quoting Doctor Who when trying on wedding dresses?" Kylie asked through her laughter.

"I look like a Dalek!" Mary said as Sherlock bounded in the room closely followed by John who was stopped dead in his tracks.

John's face was contorted into confusion by the sight of Mary in that dress, "Uh…wow… is you getting that one?"

Kylie cracked a smile, "Yes, you are having a Doctor Who themed wedding and instead of I do, you are saying 'exterminate'."

"Oh God, you watch that crap too!" Sherlock said slightly disgusted.

"What?" John said thoroughly confused.

"Why are you guys here?" Mary asked.

"There's another body found outside of the Castle Hotel," Sherlock told her.

Kylie looked at Mary.

"You guys go," Mary, said as she headed back into the dressing room, "It will take me a while to get this Dalek armor off of me."

Kylie snorted once more due to the confusion on Sherlock's and John's faces before she grabbed her purse and walked out to find a cab, Sherlock and John not far behind.

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	34. Chapter 34

**Thanks so much to those of you who reviewed! I seriously love you guys! You don't understand how freaked out I get when no one reviews! So thanks for not making me go nuts over thinking that no one is reading anymore! **

**I'll be able to thank you individually this weekend!**

**Sorry this is a shorter one; I'm slammed with school right now!**

**I hope you guys enjoy! PLEASE let me know what you guys think!**

"What in the hell happened to you?" Charlie asked as Kylie, John, and Sherlock walked down the neighboring alleyway to the Castle Hotel.

"Nothing," Kylie replied as Sherlock put his hand on her low back protectively as they walked.

Charlie grinned as he did not miss the motion, "oh, let me guess, was it a sex accident?" he asked wagging his eyebrows as he fell into step with them.

Kylie looked at him as if he had grown a second head, "What? No! Does everything have to do with sex for you?"

"Hey, accidents happen. I mean one moment the two of you are going at it, and the next…," Charlie said before smiling off into the distance, "I remember one time I was dating this Cuban girl who was really into this kinky…"

Kylie stopped in her tracks and smacked the back of Charlie's head as hard as she could manage with her one arm, causing her arm to rotate and pain to course through her body once more. She gritted her teeth and shook it off, trying to avoid the stares of Sherlock and John, as they both looked at her with concern.

"Shut up Charlie," Kylie said before she walked as fast as she could towards where Lestrade and Donovan were standing.

"What happened to you?" Lestrade asked with concern.

"SEX ACT!" Charlie yelled from 20 yards away before John busted up laughing and Sherlock rounded on Charlie threateningly.

Kylie rolled her eyes as Donovan looked at her in disgust.

"You willingly slept with that freak?" she asked before Kylie gave her a dangerous look.

"Did you forget our prior conversation? Because you are about to lose your teeth," Kylie growled as she took a step towards her.

"Ladies," Lestrade said as Charlie jogged over to them.

"Lestrade! You NEVER break up a girl fight!" Charlie whined as Lestrade chuckled.

Charlie took a step closer to Donovan and smiled at her, "Especially such pretty ones."

Kylie looked at Charlie as if he was drugged heavily and sprouted wings, "Yeah…I'm going to throw up…."

A fuming Sherlock and still giggling John joined them as Kylie's look of nausea took over her face as she watched Charlie and Donovan talk.

"The body?" Sherlock asked as he angrily glared at Charlie.

Lestrade smirked and lead them over to a corner of the alley. Sherlock looked around puzzled.

"Where's the body?"

"You're looking at it," Lestrade told them.

"Its just blood?" Kylie said looking at the alley.

"Yeah, but it's a lot. Who's ever it is, they didn't live very long after," John told them.

The entire corner of the alleyway was covered in blood. The walls of the corner, the cardboard boxes needed to be taken out with the trash. There was even a pool of blood. John was right; no one walked away from this much blood loss.

"Is it just me, or is this weird," Kylie said as she knelt down next to Sherlock to look at the blood closely, "I mean, our guy makes a point to destroy all evidence and taunt us with barely any remains that give us next to nothing. Now he gives us a massive amount of blood?"

"Maybe he just messed up?" John said, "I mean most serial killers do at some point."

"No," Sherlock said as he stood up, "He's far too clever for that. He wants to be caught, but it's a game. He wouldn't just show his hand."

"So what's the game?" Kylie asked.

Sherlock took a deep breath, "I don't know. I need to take a look at that blood."

"I'll have a sample sent to Bart's," Lestrade said as he watched Sherlock walk over to Anderson and snatched a swab right out of his hand before turning and walking back towards them while Anderson said a few choice words to yell back at him. Sherlock swabbed the blood and placed it in a bag, completely ignoring Anderson's yelling.

"Have you been able to talk to the employee's?" Kylie asked.

Lestrade shook his head, "I can't get a hold of any of them. They are either out of town and one past away in a car wreck a few weeks ago."

Kylie and Sherlock stared at him.

"Or they are all dead and you lot are too idiotic to see it," Sherlock said before turning and walking away.

"He can just get away with that?" Charlie asked as he began to walk back towards the street wordlessly.

Kylie sighed and shook her head before walking after him, apologizing to Anderson along the way.

"Yeah, because he just really doesn't care," John said before following Kylie after Sherlock.

**%#$ *  
**

"So I still don't understand why the blood was left there?" Kylie said as they returned to Baker Street after spending about four hours at Bart's.

"There's a connection Kylie," Sherlock said as he threw his coat down and began to go through the files in the flat once more.

"All that we found was that the blood was from a man named Hector Nelson and there were slightly higher levels in his blood," Kylie said as she took off her sling, earning her a look from John.

"I have to take my jacket off okay?" Kylie told him, "Plus it feels better."

John helped her with her jacket and then disappeared into the kitchen.

"The nitrogen is the clue, it has to be," Sherlock muttered.

"It was only slightly high Sherlock," John told him as he came out of the kitchen with a bag of Ice and saran wrap, forcing Kylie to ice her shoulder once more, "It could mean a lot of things, kidney disease, impaired liver function."

"It was only slightly high," a disgruntled Kylie said as John wrapped her shoulder up with ice, "I doubt that's a message from the killer."

"It means something, it has to mean something," Sherlock muttered as he flipped through file after file.

Lestrade walked into the flat slightly out of breath, Charlie not far behind, "You were right," Lestrade told Sherlock, "Someone killed them."

"Of course I'm right, I'm always right," Sherlock said as if Lestrade was wasting his time.

Kylie rolled her eyes, "What'd you find?"

"We didn't find body's or death certificates per say, but each of the employees had an insurance policy take out on them by their family or loved one," Lestrade told them.

"The same insurance company?" John inquired.

"No, a few were the same, but they were from a variety and in a variety of amounts," Charlie told them.

"So what's the connection? I mean it's not very weird for some one to take out a life insurance policy," John said.

"Was the policy ever collected?" Kylie asked.

"Only one, the employee who died in a car accident a few weeks ago. His wife collected 100,000 dollars," Lestrade told them.

"That's pretty steep for a hotel employee and definitely a cause for murder. Did the wife cut the break line? Were they having problems?" Kylie asked.

"That's the thing," Charlie told them, "We reopened the case file and the car was in perfect condition, autopsy showed nothing but a slight elevation in blood nitrogen levels."

Kylie, Sherlock, and John's heads all snapped up.

"You're kidding?" Kylie gaped.

"That's our connection," Sherlock said before he sat down in his armchair assuming his thinking pose.

"Is that significant?" Charlie asked.

"We found the same in the blood in the alley," Kylie told them.

"That's our connection," Sherlock muttered once more before turning to Charlie and Lestrade, "Get out I need to think."

"Can we finish?" Charlie asked, "That's not even the weird part."

Kylie's eyebrows furrowed at her old partner, "What's so weird?"

"So we went to talk to the wife about the accident and the insurance policy," Lestrade told them, "She knew nothing about it. Never knew it had been taken out, never collected any of it."

"She could just be lying!" Kylie said, "I mean if I killed someone for insurance money I'd lie about it too."

"Bank statements check out," Charlie said, "She never collected a cent on his life."

"So who collected the insurance policy?" John asked.

"And who in the hell took it out on him in the first place?" Kylie asked.

Charlie and Lestrade shook their heads.

"That place is cursed," John said as he shook his head.

"Yeah, because ghosts can take out insurance policies," Kylie scoffed.

"I heard it Kylie," John exclaimed, "There is something in that place and its not human. I can't explain the policies, but I bet that something, is responsible for the high nitrogen levels and the reason that there are no bodies."

"Yeah, because they were turned into models or cremated!" Kylie exclaimed.

"I'm with John on this one," Lestrade said, "You wouldn't believe the calls we get on that place."

"Its not haunted!" Kylie told them.

"Then how do you explain the nitrogen then?" Charlie asked.

"Not you too!" Kylie groaned.

"Ghosts are 90% nitrogen so they can appear visible to the human eye. When they kill they would most likely leave traces of nitrogen in your blood! It makes sense Kylie!" Charlie exclaimed.

"Except for one thing, GHOSTS ARENT REAL!" Kylie told him.

"You didn't hear it Kylie!" John told her.

"Well, then maybe we need to go stay there?" Kylie suggested looking at John daringly, "Or are you too afraid?"

**Review?**


	35. Chapter 35

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I seriously love you guys!**

**I have to apologize to everyone too; I didn't mean to mock those of you who believe in Ghosts. I've never experienced anything so I really don't know what I believe (mainly because I refuse to go to anything haunted,) but my mom told me my great-grandfather visited her. So, once more, I am sorry if I offended anyone! I was just trying to show that Charlie could be a dumbass.**

**A huge thanks to Optimistic Livvy, animemonkey13 (thanks for adding me to your C2!), Goldbee, Spinner12 (Hahah I laughed so hard when I read that. I kept thinking of that episode when I was writing that scene….even though Donna Drives me INSANE as a companion.), Skywrites, thegirlwiththebrowneyes, ChelGallifreya221B613, and Gwilwillith for their amazing reviews! You guys seriously mad my day!**

**Anyhow, heres the next chapter! They are going to be a little short for a while, but I should be able to update faster…I don't really know though I have a test on Tues… but they are also in a different format. It will all make sense in the end, I promise.**

**You have no idea how pumped I am to write this part!**

**Enjoy!**

John sprinted down the corridor as he ran over the creaky floorboards. The lights flickered as he heard his heavy breath. He had to get to them. They needed help, they were trapped. John heard footsteps behind him and he just kept running, running as hard as he could as he twisted through the corridors.

The footsteps were getting closer. He turned sharply to his left and opened the door to his right, this had to be it. John's heart dropped, as all he found was a brick wall. He heard a knife scrape the wall down the corridor as someone laughed. His breath quickened... he was getting closer. He needed to get out of here, he needed to find them.

John began trying door after door, trying to find a way out, anyway out. John opened a door. Stairs! John glanced behind him before shutting the door as quietly as possible and sprinted down the stairs as fast as he could. He passed a few doors before the staircase ended suddenly, running him into a wall once more.

John cursed under his breath as he heard the door open above him.

"You can't run forever!" the voice a few floors above him said.

John's adrenaline was on high as he began climbing the stairs as fast as he could diving into the first door he could find as he heard the knife scrape against the wall again.

John quickly and quietly shut the door to the darkened room behind him as he leaned against the thick wall, praying his heavy breathing wasn't going to give him away.

**6 hours earlier…**

"Why do I have a feeling that this is one of the stupider things that we have ever done?" John said as he Kylie and Sherlock climbed into the cab with their bags.

"You're just scared," Kylie laughed as she sat next to Sherlock.

"I am not," John argued as he shut the cab door behind him.

"Yes, you are," both Sherlock and Kylie said at the same time.

"We're just going to prove to you that the Castle Hotel is not haunted, while looking for evidence at the same time," Kylie told him.

"And to think that I am actually doing this on a dare…" John muttered to himself.

"You're just pissy that Mary had to work and couldn't hold your hand through this whole thing," Kylie said with a smile.

"Hmmm…." John said sarcastically, "What would I rather do? Be with the woman who is about to become my wife, or share a small crappy hotel room with you two, who cant seem to keep your hands off of each other," John said as he stared pointedly at Sherlock's hand on her leg, "And then run around looking for a killer in a haunted hotel all night," John finished, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Kylie just glared at him for a moment before shrugging, "You're just pissed because you're not getting any for eight months."

It was John's turn to glare as Sherlock smirked out his window. Kylie always did win in a battle of wits.

"Yeah, thanks for that," John told her bitterly.

Kylie shrugged as she scooted slightly closer to Sherlock, "You're the one who made the rude comment. Don't blame me, blame karma."

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO TOLD MARY!" John argued.

"Hey, Karma's a bitch."

The cab slowed to a stop just outside of the Castle Hotel as Sherlock paid the driver and John got out, helping Kylie out of the cab as she was having trouble with her sling.

"This is stupid," John said quietly, "You're hurt and we are going into a potentially dangerous situation."

"Relax John," Kylie said as Sherlock joined them, "We've seen worse than a supposedly haunted hotel."

Sherlock took her bag from her before grabbing her hand and dragging her into the hotel.

John sighed, "Yeah, this is going to go real well."

**%#$ ^ **

"Can I help you folks?" A handsome middle-aged man in a bell clerk's suit asked them from behind the front desk as they entered the antiquely furnished lobby. The ceilings were high and intimately carved from wood, giving the Castle a sort of old and almost rustic look to it.

"Yes," Sherlock told him smiling fakely in a very un-Sherlock like tone, "We'd like a room please."

The man raised his eyebrows at them, "The three of you in one room?"

Kylie smirked, she couldn't help what came out of her mouth next, "Yes, its my birthday gift," she said as she cuddled up to Sherlock, who was trying to cover up a shocked expression while John began having a coughing fit.

The clerked looked at them before smiling, "Happy Birthday."

"Thank you," Kylie said smiling sweetly while she tried to stop herself from laughing, "I'm a lucky girl."

The clerk smiled at her before typing once more.

"I have a room available on the third floor," the clerk told them with a smile.

"Great," Sherlock said handing him his card.

**^$%##*&#  
**

The clerk led them down the corridor when the light overhead began to flicker on and off.

"Sorry about that," he told them as they walked, "The lights are a little temperamental. We should have that fixed shortly. Not like you'll be having the lights on," he muttered.

Kylie looked back at John and Sherlock and gave them a shocked look as they wound through the corridors. Sherlock wasn't paying attention to the conversation but was too busy trying to engrain their path in his mind.

"Here we are," the clerk said opening the door for them.

Kylie thanked him and walked into the room as the clerk handed the key to Sherlock before leaving them to their… "Activities…"

John and Sherlock entered and shut the door behind them. John dropped his bag and sighed, "You had to make me the hooker didn't you."

Kylie shrugged, "What? Would you two rather have been the gay couple looking for a homoerotic experience?'

John looked at her for a moment, "point taken."

Kylie laughed before she sat down on the bed as Sherlock wandered around the room, as if he were looking for clues.

Kylie raised an eyebrow at him as she lay back on the bed.

"You looking for clues in the room?" she asked him.

"There may be something here," Sherlock told her as he began searching the bathroom.

Kylie looked at John, "Yeah, I bet they are hiding the bodies in here."

John raised an eyebrow at her, "Gee, Karma made you a smart ass," he told her with a grin.

Kylie chuckled lightly as she lay back on the pillows and stared at the ceiling. She saw John walk and sit in the chair next to the bed out of the corner of her eye.

"How's your shoulder?" he asked her.

"Fine," Kylie told him.

John gave her a pointed look, "I wish you'd let me give you some pain meds, I know its killing you."

Kylie looked at him questioningly.

John smiled, "Your blood pressure and heart rate are off the charts for your normal levels and you wince slightly when you move."

Kylie glanced at Sherlock.

"He knows," John said as if he were reading her mind, "He's worried about you."

Kylie raised an eyebrow at him, "John, Sherlock Holmes doesn't worry."

"Why are you two sitting?" Sherlock asked as he walked back into the room wearing a confused look, "We need to search the hotel."

"We need to wait," Kylie told him, "These floorboards are creaky, they'll know exactly where we are and they think that we are all going at it right now."

Sherlock gave her a blank stare.

"She's right Sherlock," John told him, "relax a little but, we have to wait at least 45 minutes."

Sherlock was torn. It made logical sense to wait but all that he wanted to do was look for evidence.

Sherlock huffed angrily before sitting on the bed between John and Kylie.

John raised an eyebrow at him with an amused grin on his face only to have it fade when there was a sound that traveled through the wall of the wall opposite them. Kylie sat straight up and looked at the wall over Sherlock's shoulder.

"Did you hear it?" John said quietly as his face paled slightly, "That's it, that's the noise I heard!"

It happened again. It sounded as if there were a monster in the wall, breathing heavily and pacing behind the wall.

"You have got to be kidding me?" Kylie asked more to herself than anyone else in the room as she reached out and put a hand on Sherlock's back as she paled. Just touching him made her feel a little safer, "Its real."

"Its not real," Sherlock told them before he stood up and turned, pulling Kylie up with him, "Come on John," he told him before grabbing and pocketing the key and running out the door.

Kylie grabbed her glock out of her bag and glanced at John before following him quickly.

"OH GOD!" John said as he grabbed his gun and ran out the door after them, praying they weren't walking into this monster's trap.

**Review?**


	36. Chapter 36

**Thanks a bunch to all of you who reviewed! I seriously love you guys! I hate life right now because I have a physics test on Tuesday and so that is my entire life as of right now. So, your reviews make me stop and smile instead of wanting to gouge my eyes out with my pencil!  
**

**A huge thanks to Skywrites, thegirlwiththebrowneyes, Sheepenchanter2 (I actually PMed YOU this time! I PMed Sheepenchanter1…oops), Notyourlovemokey (thanks so much! Sometimes I worry that they are a little over the top!), Gwilwillith, Oreal770, jessness31, Pacificatlantic (Thanks so much! I really appreciated it!), animemonkey 13, Chelgallifreya221B613, and OptimisticLivvy. ****You guys are AMAZING!  
**

**Here's the next chapter! Its short…sorry….**

Kylie ran down the hall of the stone corridor around her. Her shoes splashing up some of the water that had formed puddles on the cold stone. She glanced behind her as she ran. That… thing… had to be hot on her heels. She could hear it's heavy breathing. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she yanked off her sling and began running as fast as she could down the hallway, praying that her daily running was enough to get her out of here alive.

How in the hell had they all gotten separated? She still didn't know, she just needed to find them. Sherlock was hurt; he didn't stand a chance against that thing. He needed her.

She had no clue what had happened to John, she just prayed that she could get away and find them both.

Kylie turned the corner only to stop in her tracks with horror at the sight she saw before her.

"No…."

**5 hours earlier**

"Sherlock!" Kylie said in a loud whisper as she chased after him down the hallway, John hot on her heels.

Sherlock was sprinting ahead of them following the noise in the walls until it lead them to turn a corner into a dead end. Kylie ran into Sherlock slightly, wincing as her shoulder knocked into his back. He unconsciously reached out to steady her as he looked around wildly for any trace of a false entrance or any sign of the noise as John came crashing into the scene.

"Sorry," John said slightly out of breath as he almost hit Kylie, He looked at her, "You okay?"

"Fine," Kylie told him as she let go of Sherlock as he spun around looking for the noise or any trace of the noise.

"You shouldn't be running around," John told her, the doctor in him coming out.

"Shut up," Sherlock said loudly as he turned around, "I need to think."

Kylie glanced at John before raising her eyebrows at him. Kylie then walked over and began looking around all of the walls of the corner just as Sherlock had earlier, trying to lift up a portrait of the original owner of the hotel, but finding it was bound to the wall. Kylie looked at the picture until she saw the eyes of the portrait to move and look at her.

"What the…?" Kylie said as she stumbled backwards, her heart racing.

Sherlock looked at her as she grabbed his arm. She was pale, very pale.

"The…. the eyes…they moved," Kylie stuttered.

"Don't be ridiculous," Sherlock told her while he steadied her, slightly worried about how pale she had become.

"N…N…NO! Sherlock I swear to GOD it moved! I swear…"

"Kylie calm down," Sherlock told her grabbing her by both of the arms gently facing him, "just calm down."

"The eyes moved!" Kylie told him as John walked over to take a closer look at the painting.

"Kylie, you are just scared, you're not thinking clearly." Sherlock told her.

"Its just canvas," John said running a hand over the painting.

"It can't be?" Kylie said running towards the painting and running her hand over it.

"Kylie you over reacted," John told her, "Its just dark and scary…"

"I saw it John," Kylie said angrily.

"Maybe I should give you something to sleep," John said looking a slightly worried Sherlock.

"I saw, what I saw!" Kylie said become more and more frustrated by the second.

"You haven't been sleeping very much since you got here," John told her before Kylie cut him off.

"You don't know that," Kylie told him as she obsessively ran her hands over the painting.

"Maybe you should," Sherlock told her as he stared at her.

Kylie wheeled around and gaped at him, "you don't trust me."

John closed his eyes in pain for his friend; this was SO not going to end well.

Sherlock opened his mouth to respond when the growling and breathing in the wall began once more. All three of their heads snapped towards it as their prior argument was forgotten. They all charged after the noise, following it quickly down the hallway.

They twisted and turned through door after door until they rounded another corner and heard the noise go behind a door. Sherlock flung it open to find that the door had been a false one, opening to a wall of bricks.

"Who in the hell puts a door on a wall of bricks?" Kylie asked as Sherlock ran his hands over the brick, hoping that there was an entrance hidden behind the wall.

When he didn't find anything, Sherlock slammed his hands against the wall in frustration, "There has to be something!"

"Wait," Kylie said holding up her hand, "Listen."

Sherlock and John stopped as they hear a faint thumping from the door beside them. Kylie looked at them before diving towards the door and attempting to open it only to find that it was locked.

"Can I help you folks?" a voice said from behind them.

They all whirled around to see the clerk from before standing calmly behind them.

They all looked at him in a slight shock for a moment before Sherlock was the first to recover, "Where does this door lead?"

The thumping continued before the clerk smiled at them, "That's the boiler room."

"On the third floor?" Sherlock inquired.

"It's a unique set up, as you probably already know," The clerk told them with a smile, "Are you enjoying your stay?"

"Open the door," Sherlock told him.

"I'm afraid I can't do that sir," The clerk said calmly as Sherlock rounded on him.

"We're enjoying our stay, thank you," Kylie said as she grabbed Sherlock's arm and pulling him back away from the clerk and began to walk away.

"I hope you find your way back alright," the clerk told them as they walked away.

He waited until they were a little ways away from the clerk before Sherlock whispered to Kylie, "Why on earth did you stop me?"

"We have more than enough to get Lestrade to get a warrant to tear this place a part," Kylie said as she pulled out her cellphone only to stop and frown at it, "I don't have any service."

Sherlock and John pulled out theirs too and frowned, "There must be a interference with the signal around the building."

"Lets get out of this hell-hole," Kylie said as they began to walk once more.

They came to a fork turn in the hallway when they all stopped.

"Does anyone know which way our room was?" Kylie asked.

John looked at Sherlock who was looking around thinking.

"This way," Sherlock said after a moment.

John and Kylie followed swiftly before John's phone fell out of his pocket. He stopped and went back to get it as Kylie turned around to see him.

"John what are you…?" That's all that Kylie got in before she and Sherlock fell through the floor.

"Kylie! Sherlock!" John said as he scrambled up and ran over to the spot where they had disappeared.

The floor was solid…what the hell?

How on earth did they just fall through the floor? Where on earth were they? And where in the hell was the room.

The breathing began to get closer and closer to him through the wall. John turned and he saw it, causing his heart to drop into his chest.

**Review?**


	37. Chapter 37

**You guys have seriously no idea how hard it is to do my homework when I am so STOKED to write this part of the story. I swear I am only SUPER motivated to write when I have a massive test in a few days…. **

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! Seriously, I know I say this all the time, but you have no clue how happy I get when I get feedback…both good and bad!**

**Little foot the warrior****:. …Patience…**

**Sky Writes:**** hahaha I get that! I am a science major, but I just don't understand why on earth I need this crap. I am studying to get my doctorate in Physical Therapy and I don't understand why on earth I need to be able to build circuits and understand radiation…. Seriously…I'm not going to be building the machines, I just need to know how they affect the human body. I get why I had to take motion and forces (I actually enjoyed that…I'm weird I know…) but this….?**

**Sorry I ranted! Thanks for reading and I'm stoked you are enjoying it!  
**

**Oreal770:****hahah that's the point my dear! I'm glad you are enjoying it!  
**

**Optimistic Livvy:****…You would be correct….**

**Gwilwillith:**** Thanks so much! I'm glad you are enjoying it!**

**The girlwiththebrowneyes:**** :D good….I'm glad….**

**GoldBee:**** yes, yes it is. I have never written anything in the horror genre, but I have to say it is rather fun.**

**ChelGallifreya221B613:**** Hahahaha I like cliffhangers! As you probably already know form my other stories! Sorry for the torture!**

**AnimeMonkey13:**** That's what I would do!**

**Also, just a side note. I promise that I am not a psychopath. I am a normal…well, semi-normal human being and by reading this story, you probably think that I am an axe murderer. I assure you that I am not. I cant even watch horror movies….seriously, I hate them….and yet I'm writing this….It doesn't make sense to me either…**

**Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

Sherlock heard water dripping. Water dripping all around him. It was black, he couldn't see. His side was killing him, his head was spinning.

Kylie, where was Kylie? And John? They needed to get out of here. He had led them into this mess, he needed to get them out before they got to them. It still didn't make sense, not at all. But right now, getting out was what mattered, he could make sense of it later.

Sherlock groaned quietly as he tried to move his arms only to find that he couldn't. Sherlock opened his eyes and looked at his arms.

….Oh God….How had he allowed himself into this?

"Hello Mr. Holmes," a voice said, "We meet again. Do you like it? Its right up your alley."

Sherlock felt shock over take his already semi-lucid mind as he gazed upon the owner of the voice.

"You?"

**4 hours earlier….**

Sherlock and Kylie hit the stone ground hard. Kylie landed on top of Sherlock causing him to break her fall. Sherlock let out a grunt as Kylie hit him as pain surged throughout his body. He felt the air leave his lungs.

Kylie let out a yelp as she hit the ground. Her shoulder had been one of the only things that had hit the hard ground instead of Sherlock's body. She winched as she clambered off of him, afraid she had hurt him.

"Sherlock, I'm sorry," Kylie said as she turned back to look at him, "I tried to redirect my fall, but you cant as a free-falling…..Sherlock?"

He was wheezing, it was as if he couldn't breath.

"Oh God," Kylie said as she pushed his jacket to the side and threw off her sling, wincing at the pain but shaking it off as there was a much higher priority at hand.

"Sherlock?" Kylie asked trying to get him to respond as she felt up his sides, checking for injury.

She felt it, a broken rib, one that had pushed in, most likely puncturing the lung. His left lung had collapsed.

"Shit," Kylie cursed under her breath as she took at look around the room that they were in.

They had fallen into a stone room. One that was covered in what looked like….medical equipment? Seriously? There was a steel gurney in the middle of the room while side tables filled with medical tools lined the wall next to a large box in the corner.

Kylie scrambled to her feet while she tried her best to find everything, anything that could help her save him.

She ran over to one of the side tables and found, bone saws, large knives, calipers, probes, and finally a scalpel. She grabbed it then ran over to the large bin, thanking God that Ducky had taught her a few medical procedures he had picked up in the Royal Army. She found a bottle of vodka duct tape, and a small plastic biohazard bag.

Why in the hell was a bag full of duct tape and rope down here? Along with enough alcohol to give a small army liver disease? That didn't matter right now, Sherlock needed her help.

She sprinted back over and looked at him, his lips were beginning to be tinted blue. He wasn't getting enough oxygen. Kylie looked at him, she wasn't trained properly on how to do this. She didn't want to kill him. If he died this would be her fault. She needed a proper doctor, she needed John.

_He's not here Kylie, you have to do this._

Kylie took a deep breath before unbuttoning his shirt as quickly as she could, Sherlock wheezing all the while. His eyes began to droop slightly.

"Don't you pass out on me!" Kylie told him as she fished through his jacket pockets.

"Come on," she muttered, "I know you keep it in here."

Kylie found the pen she was looking for and pulled it out taking it apart as fast as she could. Once she had removed the ink stick she took the outer top part of the pen and opened the bottle of vodka. She whispered soothing words to the now barely conscious Sherlock as she poured vodka over his left side and then the top part of the pen and scalpel. She set down the bottle and held the scalpel in her hand.

"Okay Uncle Duck, don't let me down," she said to herself before she held the scalpel over his side. She took a deep breath and pressed down making a small incision in his side right where his rib had fractured. Sherlock didn't move at all….that was not good.

Kylie said a silent prayer for him as she took the top of the pen and inserted it into the incision after she had manipulated the broken rib away from his lungs and back into place, trying to remember everything that Ducky had showed her that one time when she was 15 and staying with him while her father was across the globe working a case.

He had been telling her stories of war when he had been serving as a Doctor in the Royal army_. _

"_So how'd you save him?" A young Kylie asked as she sat at his dining room table, her anatomy homework spread out on the table. _

"_you need to do your homework Kyleigha," Ducky told her as he set down his cup of tea. _

_Kylie raised an eyebrow at him, "Uncle Duck, you taught me all of this years ago! I can do it in my sleep!"_

_Ducky smiled at the young girl, "It's a college course Kyleigha. It must be taken more seriously than the rest of your school courses."_

"_Half the courses I'm in are technically college courses, that's why they are called Advanced Placement. So, finish the story! How did you save him?" Kylie asked with an eager smile on her face._

_Ducky sighed and set down his cup of tea and walked over to where Kylie sat with her anatomy book open. He flipped to the page with the pneumothorax and launched into his tale._

"_All that I had with me on the field was a pocket knife, some gauze, a plastic bag, a straw, and medical tape."_

"_You saved him just with that?" Kylie asked. _

"_His lung had collapsed, sending him into traumatic pneumothorax and shock." Ducky looked at the girl, "What is traumatic pneumothorax?"_

"_An injury causes either a puncture to the lung or allows air into the cavity causing the plural space to lose its extremely specific air pressure, causing the lung to come off the thoracic wall and collapse." Kylie told him easily._

"_Very good Kyleigha," Ducky told her smiling, "I should have you become my new assistant."_

"_You told me this summer I could work in the morgue!" Kylie reminded him. _

"_You're father has to allow you to first," Ducky reminded the eager girl._

"_So, How'd you save him?"_

"_I made the incision and manipulated the rib away form the lungs and back into place as best as I could," Ducky told her as he pointed it out on the page. _

"_I then inserted the straw in-between the tenth and eleventh ribs."_

Kylie took a deep breath and inserted the top part of the pen into Sherlock's side, pushing it as close as she could to his pleural cavity.

"_Now, Kyleigha what does that do?" Ducky asked her._

"_Allows for the air in the cavity to escape, allowing for the proper air pressure and tension to be reestablished."_

_Ducky smiled, "Very good." She really was quite a smart girl. "So what else do I need to do to reestablish equilibrium?"_

_Kylie thought about it for a moment. "You need to close off the air source but still allow air out."_

"_Because if you don't?"_

"_Then air can still get in, leaving the patient with a collapsed lung."_

_Ducky smiled, "So, then I taped a plastic bag over the straw and forced the air out of the lungs."_

Kylie tore off a piece of duct tape as quickly as she could praying to God not to let him take Sherlock away from her. She placed the plastic bag over the pen that was now sticking out of Sherlock's side and taped it down, making sure there were no gaps. She then sat up on her knees, placing her hands on Sherlock's breastbone and pressed down swiftly.

Sherlock eyes shot open as he coughed, gasping for air. Kylie smiled as tears of relief ran down her face as she tried to calm him and get him to lay down before looking up at the ceiling and thanking God for listening to her.

He just looked at her as he caught his breath and then down at her hands covered in his blood, then dropping to his side. He saw the bag and went to tear it off before Kylie stopped him.

"You collapsed you lung, that bag is what is keeping you breathing right now," Kylie told him before hugging him. "I thought I'd lost you," she whispered to him.

Sherlock wrapped his arm around her and hesitated before kissing her temple, trying to let her know without saying in words how he felt at that moment.

Kylie pulled back as he tried to get up, wincing sharply the whole time. Kylie knew he was trying his damnedest not to show it on his face, but he was failing miserably.

Kylie scrambled to her feet once more, the throbbing of her shoulder beginning to come back once more. Kylie helped him stand trying to make sure that he did not fall over. He was pale, he was losing blood. They needed to find John and get the hell out of this place.

She began to help him button up his now blood soaked shirt as he looked around the room, trying to make sense of it all.

He looked up at the ceiling seeing that there was a door above them.

"Trap door," he muttered.

"Sorry?" Kylie asked as she finished the last button, ignoring the protests from her shoulder.

"A trap door, we must have fallen through it," he told her before looking around once more.

"What is this place Sherlock?" Kylie said as she followed his gaze.

Sherlock shook his head as he took a few shaky steps towards the table before he regained his confidence in walking and the strides became almost normal.

He inspected the room for a few moments before turning to Kylie and shaking his head slightly, "I don't know. Some kind of operating room?"

They heard a noise down the hallway. Both Sherlock and Kylie turned to look before she pulled out her glock as they began to walk towards where the noise was emanating.

**%#$ #*7**

John was frozen in place as his heart dropped into his stomach at the sight before him. It was a massive cloud of what looked like white smoke. John stared at it for a moment in a mixture of horror and disbelief. What sounded like whispers of a hundred people filled the corridor, sounding as if it were emanating from the smoky form. The whispers then stopped and the smoke disappeared around the corner as quickly as it had appeared.

The corridor was silent for a moment as John still remain frozen to the spot. He took deep breaths trying to calm himself before the growling and heavy breathing began once more as every door in the hallway burst open at once.

John stifled a yell as he began sprinting down the corridor as quickly as he could. He had to find his way back to the lobby. He had to. The growling was following him as he sprinted to his left, twisting and turning down the corridor until the he burst into a room.

He stopped and looked around him trying to catch his breath as he saw the Clerk at the front desk looking at him with concern.

"Sir, are you alright?" he asked.

John swallowed and made his way over the desk. "You need to call Scotland Yard!"

The clerk gave him a confused look.

"My friends, they fell through a trap door and you have GHOSTS HERE!" John rambled, not really having a straight train of thought at the moment.

"Sir, we have a bunch of conspiracy theorists who believe that this place is a murder hotel and is haunted, but I assure you it is just a theory," the clerk told him.

"My friends…. They fell through a trap door! And I just saw the ghost with my own eyes!" John informed him as he leaned on the desk trying to calm himself.

"Did you take something…"

"NO! I AM NOT DRUGGED WILL YOU CALL THE DAMN POLICE!" John yelled.

"Sir, we don't have any trapped doors or ghosts!"

John leaned over the counter and grabbed the clerk by his collar, pulling him towards his face threateningly, "My friends are missing, you are going to call Scotland Yard and ask for Detective inspector Lestrade or Charlie Edwards, or God forbid I will ring your neck."

The clerk swallowed nervously and nodded before John let him go and he picked up the phone.

John paced the lobby as he pulled out his mobile and checked, still no service. There must be a phone line down. Of course there was at a time like this. Ghosts couldn't block service…could they?

The clerk hung up the phone and sat there staring nervously at John who was pacing rapidly.

A few moments went by before a bobby walked into the lobby looking slightly nervous. John turned to look at him and recognized the younger man as Harry Gordon. He was relatively new to police work and was fascinated with Sherlock. He tried his best to get himself noticed by John's best friend only to stutter and be dismissed by Sherlock immediately. He was a nice lad though, John had spoken to him a few times.

"Harry!" John said as the younger man walked in.

"Dr. Watson," Harry stuttered slightly, "There was a call about a ghost and missing persons?"

"Sherlock and Dr. Gibbs are missing," John told him, "I need you to get Lestrade and Charlie Edwards, the new detective for the FBI down here now! I need to go and find Sherlock and Kylie.

"There's a ghost?" Harry asked as he paled slightly.

"Just call it in!" John said before he ran back to the door and prayed that he could find Sherlock and Kylie before it was too late.

**%#$ & **

Kylie and Sherlock crept down the hallway, as the noise continued. They couldn't tell what it quite was but the closer they got the louder the noise became.

They approached a door, it was cracked and light was admitting from it into the darkened hallway where Kylie and Sherlock stood. They glanced at each other as they listened. The noise kept going. Sherlock placed his hand on the knob and looked at Kylie to make sure she was ready. Kylie held the gun up and nodded at him as he flung the door open and Kylie stood there ready to fire.

They both froze at the horror in front of them. It wasn't in their wildest dreams what they had expected at all.

**Review?**


	38. Chapter 38

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**Here's the next chapter!**

John sat next to the door as he quietly waited for him to pass. He heard the knife pass through the next corridor and he breathed a sigh of relief. He was gone.

John took a deep breath and turned the knob. John's heart dropped into his stomach once more.

No…

He tried the door again and again, it wasn't budging. He was locked in the room. John felt his breath leave him as panic surged through his body as he rammed his shoulder into the door trying to get it to open. After a few minutes John stopped, realizing it was useless.

John turned and leaned his back against the door as he took the flashlight out of his pocket. He turned it on and looked at the room around him. There was nothing in the room, absolutely nothing, just walls.

John took a look around the room until suddenly a noise began. Like gas entering the room. He looked in the corners of the room to see pipes emitting gas. John felt the gas hit his lungs as he began coughing. He couldn't breathe, the gas was filling the room. John went to the door as he covered his mouth and nose with his jacket as he began pounding on the door as hard as he could before black began to over take him.

He was dying….

**3 hours earlier….**

John sprinted down the corridors as he wove his way through, trying to find his way to the basement. They had to be there, they fell through the third floor. It wouldn't make sense if they were to fall anywhere else….at least he hoped.

Hell, they could be anywhere. He was running blindly.

He stopped and looked around him. He had literally no clue where he was. The paintings were repeated as they went down the hallway, so there was absolutely no way to gage where he was what so ever.

He needed a plan.

**# $% &* **

Sherlock and Kylie stopped at the sight before them.

"Dear Lord," Kylie muttered under her breath as she lowered her gun.

Sherlock and Kylie looked upon what looked to be a torture chamber. The walls were all made of stone and some were stained with blood. Vats and steel boxes lined the walls along with more surgical tools and jars full of what looked like formaldehyde.

Kylie and Sherlock walked into the room and it was evident where the sound was coming from. By a large wooden table was an electric cattle prod the electricity was snapping from it. Kylie walked over to it, turning it off as she looked at the table.

"Oh my God," she said breathlessly.

Sherlock followed her over as she turned to look at him, "That shoulder model, it wasn't a defensive wound. That person was tortured…on a stretching rack."

The table was indeed a stretching rack, one that looked as if it had come right out of a medieval torture chamber.

"Their limbs were pulled out the their sockets one by one," Kylie said in disbelief as Sherlock began to wander over towards the steel boxes.

"Why would you kill someone this way. It would be much more simpler just to stab them or shoot them then to take the time to torture them," Kylie commented.

"He enjoys it," Sherlock said as he winced bending down to try to open the steel box, "Plus he is trying to sell the bodies after he kills them as models. Can't really have a fifty caliber rifle shot through the skull he wants to sell."

Kylie looked around the room, "This is sick," she muttered feeling slightly nauseous.

"Kylie," Sherlock told her as he sat stunned in front of the now open steel box.

Kylie raised an eyebrow and walked over to where Sherlock was bent down.

"You're kidding me," Kylie whispered as she knelt down next to him.

In the steel box lay a skeleton, a very VERY small skeleton. Kylie felt her heart break as she looked upon the body of a child.

"He cant be more than three," Kylie whispered in slight shock.

"The bastard killed children," Sherlock said, the anger evident in his voice.

His anger took Kylie slightly by surprise. Sure, he hated murder. Sure he hated crime and lack of justice, but the fact that the murder of a child affected him so greatly was slightly touching for Kylie.

She turned back to the body and began to inspect it in a little more detail and she felt as if she was going to throw up.

"Mary, Mother of God," Kylie muttered.

"He was tortured wasn't he?" Sherlock asked quietly.

Kylie looked at him and nodded, tears in her eyes, "No one should ever EVER do that to a child."

Sherlock took one more look at the body before he stood up as carefully as he could trying not to irritate his wound. He looked at Kylie gaze sadly at the body. He knew she had seen some terrible, horrible things throughout her life but he had never seen her react like this.

"Kylie," He said gently trying to pull her out of her trance.

Kylie looked at him as a tear ran down her cheek, "Who could torture and kill a three year old little boy?"

Sherlock held his hand out to pull her up. Kylie took it and stood up with as little of his help as she could manage so she wouldn't hurt him. He was paling, he needed to get to a hospital.

"We will catch him," Sherlock told her.

Kylie looked at him with concern as she laid a hand on his face, "You feeling okay? We need to get you to a hospital."

"I'm fine," Sherlock told her before he pressed his lips to her forehead and turned to walk away when Kylie grabbed his hand.

He turned to look at her, "I'm serious Sherlock, we need to get out of here and get you to a hospital, other wise you are going to bleed to death. We already have enough to get a warrant to tear this place a part, so can you please go against your usual MO of staying until its all and done with and lets find a way out of here."

Sherlock just looked at her, "Please," she pleaded with him, "for me."

He just kept looking at her, "Please," she told him with tears in her eyes.

He looked at her for a moment longer before nodding and grabbing her hand as he began to walk once more pulling her with him.

They walked towards the opposite end of the room and towards the door when, suddenly, the doors shut.

Kylie's heart dropped into her chest as she and Sherlock ran towards the door and tried to open it, finding it locked.

They turned and ran towards the other end of the room where they had entered only to find that the door had been shut and locked also. Kylie tried the door, yanking at the knob before stepping back and attempting to kick it down only to have her foot bounce off with the echo of steel.

Kylie looked at the door in shock before trying to kick it again.

"Its steel, it's not going to open," Sherlock told her as he spun around to look around the room.

"Yeah, thanks," Kylie said sarcastically as she kicked it again, "But we're stuck in a freaking torture chamber," she said as she kicked it again, "So this is better than nothing."

"Its stupid," Sherlock told her as he looked around the room thinking.

Kylie kicked the door once more before the lights in the room flickered and died.

Kylie froze. This was freaky.

"Sherlock?" Kylie whispered grabbing for his hand.

Sherlock's hand found hers as she felt him stiffen as his other hand fished around in his jacket for his flashlight. He pulled it out and turned it on as Kylie stepped closer to him as they scanned the room.

Kylie nearly jumped out of her skin when they heard the same heavy breathing that they heard in the corridor.

"Give me the gun," Sherlock whispered to her.

"You're hurt, give me the flashlight," Kylie whispered.

"At least I can raise both arms," Sherlock argued as the breathing increased.

"I'm not bleeding," Kylie said before Sherlock shined the light on her.

Kylie rolled her eyes and handed him the gun as the breathing stopped.

Sherlock removed the safety and raised the gun in front of him as the only noise in the room was his and Kylie's breathing.

The light in the flashlight flickered and died, leaving them in the dark once more. Sherlock looked at the flashlight and turned it on and off again.

"Are you kidding me? Your batteries just died?" Kylie whispered harshly.

"I just changed them," Sherlock told her.

Kylie fished through her pockets and tried to turn on the light from her cell phone, only to find that there was no power what so ever.

"Sherlock, what in the hell is going on?" she whispered as she let go of him to put her cell phone back in her pocket.

"I don't know," Sherlock said in a slightly breathless voice.

The room was silent for a moment before Sherlock heard a slight sweeping noise.

"Kylie?" he asked before he put his hand out feeling around for her hand, "Kylie?"

The lights turned back on. Sherlock blinked a few times waiting for his eyes to adjust as he looked around. His heart dropped into his stomach, he was alone.

"Kylie?" he said as he began to panic slightly.

"KYLIE!" he yelled hoping, praying that he would hear her.

"KYLIE!"

Sherlock felt strong arms grab him from behind. His hands shot up as he tried to get the arms off of him, exposing his side. The assailant saw it and hit him, hard, keeling Sherlock over in pain when he felt a needle being shoved into his neck and the whole world spun before becoming black.


	39. Chapter 39

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! You have no idea how much I LOVE writing suspense and this is like my dream case come true for cliff-hangers….sorry to keep you guys on edge, but just know that because of it, I am getting some joy out of my day full of physics bull…**

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Smoke.

There was smoke everywhere.

She couldn't breathe.

She couldn't see.

Heat was radiating everywhere.

The floor felt as if it were scalding.

She heard the beams snapping over her head as a wooden beam fell nearly hitting her.

She knew she was going to die in this God forsaken place, She had accepted that a long time ago, but she didn't believe it would be in this way….alone….all by herself….

That was her last thought as she took her last breath….

**2 Hours Earlier….**

Kylie felt cold, cold all around her.

And hardness…. Like stone.

Her head was killing her.

Kylie groaned and opened her eyes. Where was she?

She looked around her. She was lying in a stone room, similar to the one she and Sherlock had fallen into….wait….it was the same one….

Kylie looked around her frantically.

Sherlock….

Where was he? Kylie shut her eyes and racked her memory. They had been in that room when the lights had gone out. Nothing electronic had been working. She had been standing next to Sherlock and the next thing she knew a cloth had been over her mouth and blackness had overtaken her.

The assailant must have moved her. But where was he? She needed to find him, they needed to get out of here.

Kylie sat up and looked down when she saw that her arm was bound. She raised an eyebrow.

….what kind of assailant put her sling back on her hurt shoulder?

Kylie winced as she got up, her shoulder was killing her. She made her way over to the door where she and Sherlock had walked through before. She tired the door.

"Dammit," Kylie cursed under her breath as she pulled on the door.

She stopped and turned around as her breathing quickened

She went and crossed the room to the other door, trying it as well.

She was locked in. She looked around her. She had to find a way out.

She looked around her, there was no other way out.

_She just had to sit here and wait for someone to find here?...hell no…._

Kylie heard Tony's voice in the back of her head. She laughed, he had gone on a slight power trip when her father had taken his short-lived retirement and created his own set of rules.

_Kylie laughed on the phone as she set a file down on her desk, "So DAD, you really created your own set of 'Gibb's rules'?"_

"_Yeah!" Tony replied, "I've been creating it since I began working for your dad. How is he anyway?"_

_Kylie laughed once more, "Looks like something out of Castaway. But I want to hear these rules you have."_

"_I'll believe that when I see it."_

"_The rules Tony…"_

"_Dinozzo rule number one: Don't sit on the sidelines while your people are in trouble."_

Little did Kylie ever know that she would be following one of Tony's rules. She looked around, there had to be something, anything to get her out of here.

Then she saw it, a power box next to the steel crate. She ran over to it, praying that she could figure it out. She flung open the box and grab a clamp off the table, thanking God that George Washington University had made her take that God forsaken physics class she hated so much. She had never used the knowledge on circuitry that had been forced upon her, but now was a good time to start.

Kylie's heart quickened as she recognized the set up to the circuit. This was the power set up for the doors for the floor they were on. If she cut the wrong wire, all of the doors would be unable to open any door and they would be locked in here.

Kylie followed it trying to remember everything that she had been taught.

Kylie grabbed a hold of the wire, shutting her eyes and praying for the fourth time that day. This was the most she had prayed in years, and if she got her friends out of here alive, she made a promise to do it more often.

Kylie yanked the wire and reinserted it into the circuit, crossing it with another exposed wire causing the door on her left to open only.

Kylie looked to the door on her right. That's the one she needed to go through, Sherlock was through that door. She tried it again, praying that somehow the second time it would open the door that she needed.

Kylie growled in frustration before shutting the box and running out the open door and down the hall, praying that she could find Sherlock.

**%#$#&#$**

John twisted and turned down the hall before he ran into the third dead end he had in an hour. He pounded on the wall in front of him in anger. This was useless, he had been trying to find Kylie and Sherlock for over an hour. Lestrade and Charlie had to be here by now with Harry and he was lost in this ….this….maze.

He hit the wall again. He was failing his friends.

John rested his head against the wall when he heard a pounding coming from the door to his left.

"Help me!" said what sounded like a young woman's voice as she cried.

"Hello?" John said as he pounded on the door.

"HELP! Is someone out there?" the voice pleaded, "Please help me!"

John tried the door, finding it locked, "I'm going to get you out of here I promise," John told her as he kept trying the handle.

"Please, he's going to kill me!" the woman pleaded sobbing.

"Just…tell me your name!" John told her as he bent down to try to pick the lock, "What's your name!"

"Jill…" The young woman said as she cried.

"Jill, I'm John," John said trying to get the girl to calm down, "I promise you I will get you out of here…"

He heard Jill gasp as a noise came from down the hallway.

"He's coming…." She whispered to him, "Get out of here, he's going to kill you."

"No, Jill, I'm not going to leave you here," John told her.

"Please, just save yourself," she told him sobbing, "I'm already dead anyway."

"What?" John said as he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He turned and looked at it, a feeling of dread piling up in his stomach.

"The Doctor's in," the man said as he stood across from John in the hallway, blocking his way out.

The man was older, with long grizzly hair. He looked as if he had wandered out of the sewer and into a horror film. He licked his lips, pulling up the knife and licking it also before grinning at John with rotting yellowed teeth.

"Run John," Jill said from behind the door.

John made up his mind and charged the man, tackling him to the ground and narrowly escaping the knife before John got up and ran as hard as he could down the hallway.

John sprinted down the corridor as he ran over the creaky floorboards. The lights flickered as he heard the man's heavy breathing. It clicked….the breathing they heard, it was his. There must be a maze and walkway within the wall.

He had to get to Sherlock and Kylie. He had to get Jill. They needed help, they were trapped. John heard footsteps behind him and he just kept running, running as hard as he could as he twisted through the corridors.

The footsteps were getting closer. He turned sharply to his left and opened the door to his right, this had to be it. He remembered this door from earlier, this had to be the one back into the lobby. John's heart dropped as all he found was a brick wall. He heard a knife scrape the wall down the corridor as the man laughed. John's breath quickened... he was getting closer. He needed to get out of here, he needed to find them.

John began trying door after door, trying to find a way out, anyway out. John opened a door. Stairs! John glanced behind him before shutting the door as quietly as possible and sprinted down the stairs as fast as he could. He passed a few doors before the staircase ended suddenly, running him into a wall once more.

John cursed under his breath as he heard the door open above him.

"You can't run forever!" the voice a few floors above him said.

John's adrenaline was on high as he began climbing the stairs as fast as he could diving into the first door he could find as he heard the knife scrape against the wall again.

John quickly and quietly shut the door to the darkened room behind him as he leaned against the thick wall, praying his heavy breathing wasn't going to give him away.

**%#$&*#%**

Kylie ran down the hall of the stone corridor around her. She had been twisting and turning through the chamber for a while now. Her shoes splashing up some of the water that had formed puddles on the cold stone. She glanced behind her as she ran when she saw the lights began to flicker and the heavy breathing began echoing through the hallway. She felt her heart drop into her stomach as she pushed her self harder. That… thing… had to be hot on her heels. She could hear it's heavy breathing getting closer. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she yanked off her sling and began running as fast as she could down the hallway, praying that her daily running was enough to get her out of here alive.

How in the hell had they all gotten separated? She still didn't know, she just needed to find them. Sherlock was hurt; he didn't stand a chance against that thing. He needed her.

She had no clue what had happened to John, she just prayed that she could get away and find them both.

Kylie turned the corner only to stop in her tracks with horror at the sight she saw before her.

"No…."

She had entered another room, once filled with vats of bubbling chemicals and a large machine in the corner. Kylie tried not to breath as the smell of soot and burning flesh filled her lungs. This is where the bastard burned his victims.

Kylie entered the room and looked around. The vats were full of acid. There was a body in one of the pits that made Kylie want to hurl. She could literally hear the flesh being eaten off of the bones. It couldn't have been in there for more than an hour…..Oh God….

Kylie squatted down next to it and tried to look for any clue, any clue at all if it was Sherlock or John.

The body was definitely male, but other than that, she couldn't get anything else off of it.

Kylie looked up above her and felt her stomach churn once more. There were hundreds of jars on the shelves above. Each filled with what looked like a cocktail of preservatives and human organs. Kylie felt sick. They were organized by anatomical system and put on the shelf as if to display them as you would in a grocery store.

"This is sick," Kylie muttered to herself as she turned to find the clerk standing there.

"I'm so sorry," he told her looking at her with remorse as he raised a gun to her head, "I really am."

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	40. Chapter 40

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**Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

She felt lighter, almost weightless. The pain was gone. She felt…..calm….

She could still hear, but almost all of her senses had left her with her last breath.

She heard the door break down and men's voices fill the room as she was rolled onto her back.

"I cant find a pulse," one of the voices said.

John?...

"Help her John," a familiar voice said, breaking slightly. Her heart twinged, she knew that voice, she would always know that voice.

She felt a hand run through her hair before strong arms picked her up, surrounding her in that all familiar sent. She couldn't smell it, but she knew it was there. That scent was comforting, it always had been.

"I love you," the man holding her whispered to her, "I love you so much."

She wanted to tell him she loved him too, before she left him for good. Left him all alone in the world….

**One hour earlier….**

"I'm sorry," the clerk told Kylie as he raised his gun up at her head with remorse, "I'm so sorry."

Kylie's heart dropped as she wished that she had kept her gun, though it may have given Sherlock his only fighting chance given his injured state.

"You don't want to do this," Kylie said composing herself as she watched him shake slightly as he held the gun at her, "I can tell. I'm with Scotland Yard, if you set the gun down and help me get out of here, we can cut you a deal."

"You don't understand," the clerk said as he cocked the gun with tears beginning to flow down his face.

"What don't I understand?" Kylie told him as she watched his hands shake even more rapidly, "I can't understand unless you tell me."

"He has her," the clerk said as tears flowed freely.

"Has who?" Kylie asked.

"My little girl," the clerk told her, "He has my little girl."

"You're forced to be doing this," Kylie said understanding, "I can help you. I can help you find her and get you two out of here. I just need your trust and your help."

"He'll kill her!"

"I won't let him! But I can only do that if you allow me to help you. I want to arrest the bastard who did all this."

"I cleaned up after him!" the man cried, "I brought him more victims! Innocent people!"

"Let me help you!" Kylie told him, "There is a way out of this! We can get your daughter. What's your name?"

The man swallowed, trying to calm himself a little, "Gary, Gary Traven."

"Okay Gary," Kylie said calmly, "I'm Kylie. I need you to help me find my friends with them, we will be able to call more of my friends at Scotland Yard and get you and your Daughter out of here."

"You can save her?" Gary asked.

"Yes," Kylie said sincerely, "What's her name?"

"Jill," Gary said crying once more.

"Gary, we're going to find Jill alright?" Kylie told him, "I just need you to lower your gun, okay?"

Gary looked at her for a moment before slowly lowering the gun.

Kylie took a tentative step forward and took the gun from Gary before grabbing her hand, "We'll find her, I promise."

Gary looked at her, he was a broken man. Kylie could see that now as she saw the hurt in his eyes. He nodded at her, "Lets find your friends."

Gary wiped his eyes and lead Kylie over to a darkened corner of the room where he yanked on a table and a door sprang open.

"I think he has your dark haired friend," Gary said as he finally began to calm himself.

"Who's he?" Kylie asked as she followed him down the darkened corridor, "Who forced you to do this?"

Gary shook his head, "I don't know. He never told me his name."

"How'd he get to you?"

"Jill and I were passing through town on our way to see her grandmother," Gary told her, "Her mother died a few years ago…cancer…"

"I'm so sorry," Kylie told him sadly.

Gary was silent for a moment before continuing, "He came into our room and took Jill before telling me if I didn't do exactly what he said, he would kill her."

Kylie shook her head in disbelief as she followed him down the corridor before she heard someone running and another man laughing.

Gary stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Kylie.

"Jasper," he said breathlessly as he heard the laughing and a knife running down the wall, "One of your friends ran into Jasper."

"Who's Jasper?" Kylie asked.

"Something out of your worst nightmare," Gary said before they set off at a run hearing a door slam shut and the footsteps stop.

**^#%$#*^ **

John sat next to the door as he quietly waited for him to pass. He heard the knife pass through the next corridor and he breathed a sigh of relief. He was gone.

John took a deep breath and turned the knob. John's heart dropped into his stomach once more.

No…

He tried the door again and again, it wasn't budging. He was locked in the room. John felt his breath leave him as panic surged through his body as he rammed his shoulder into the door trying to get it to open. After a few minutes John stopped, realizing it was useless.

John turned and leaned his back against the door as he took the flashlight out of his pocket. He turned it on and looked at the room around him. There was nothing in the room, absolutely nothing, just walls.

John took a look around the room until suddenly a noise began. Like gas entering the room. He looked in the corners of the room to see pipes emitting gas. John felt the gas hit his lungs as he began coughing. He couldn't breathe, the gas was filling the room. John went to the door as he covered his mouth and nose with his jacket as he began pounding on the door as hard as he could before black began to over take him.

He was dying….

John felt himself being dragged out of the room by his arms.

"John! John!" he heard Kylie's voice say as someone lightly slapped his face.

"Its poisonous gas," a male voice said, "He suffocates his victims. Locks them up and suffocated them."

"So he builds a door so the victim can't get out but you guys have a secret hidden door to get their bodies after the gas is done?" Kylie asked angrily as she preformed CPR.

John felt her mouth force air into his lungs as he began to cough violently.

He felt oxygen hit his lungs as he began to breath once again.

"Hey," Kylie said smiling at him as she laid a calming hand on his chest, rubbing it slightly, "Welcome back to the real world. You had me worried there for a second."

John looked at her, she had tears in her eyes from the fright.

"Worried you wouldn't get your money back on your bridesmaid dress?" John joked as he sat up.

Kylie laughed before hitting him lightly, "I care about you, you know that right?" she said through tears.

John just looked at her for a moment before hugging his friend and kissing her cheek, "I know," he whispered to her, "Just don't let Sherlock see, he may get jealous you're stealing me," he joked.

Kylie laughed as she wiped her eyes, "Wouldn't want to take you away from your homoerotic experience."

Gary just gave them a strange look as John helped Kylie up and jumped slightly as he saw him.

"Kylie, what the…" he began before he began coughing loudly.

"it okay John, he's okay," Kylie told him, "he was forced to do this, this bastard has his daughter."

John's eyebrows shot up, "Jill?"

"You heard her?" Gary asked.

"Right before that creep found me," John said nodding.

Gary nodded, "Let's find your other friend, he doesn't have that much time left if he's with my boss."

John grabbed his arm, "We need to get Lestrade and Charlie in here."

Gary looked at him, "Trust me, we don't have that much time. You go down and call them while Kylie and I go get your other friend. Follow this corridor down and take a left when it dead-ends that will lead you directly into the lobby. The landline is the only line that works."

John nodded and gave Kylie one more look, "We'll come find you."

Kylie nodded before she tore down the hallway with Gary, hoping that they could get to Sherlock in time.

**%#$ & ^**

Sherlock heard water dripping. Water dripping all around him. It was black, he couldn't see. His side was killing him, his head was spinning.

Kylie, where was Kylie? And John? They needed to get out of here. He had led them into this mess, he needed to get them out before they got to them. It still didn't make sense, not at all. But right now, getting out was what mattered, he could make sense of it later.

Sherlock groaned quietly as he tried to move his arms only to find that he couldn't. Sherlock opened his eyes and looked at his arms. They were bound to chains as he lay on the medieval stretching rack that he and Kylie had been horrified earlier that day.

….Oh God….How had he allowed himself into this?

"Hello Mr. Holmes," a voice said, "We meet again. Do you like it? Its right up your alley."

Sherlock felt shock over take his already semi-lucid mind as he gazed upon the owner of the voice.

"You?"

**$#% * ^**

John sprinted into the lobby fully expecting Lestrade and Charlie to be waiting there for him. John coughed loudly as he burst through the door, the poison still in his lungs only to find the lobby empty.

That cant be right, they were on their way almost an hour ago….

Wait, Gary said for John to call them…He had been right there.

That meant…..

**$ # ^!& **

"Harry Gordon," Sherlock said as he gazed upon the young Bobby. He was usually so shy, so insecure. It was as if he was a completely different person. He had a completely different posture. He was grinning at Sherlock, a wild crazy stare.

"So you do know my name," Harry said, "that's a shocker. You never so much as talked to me at a crime scene."

"You run this whole place?" Sherlock asked in slight disbelief.

"Right under your nose the whole time," Harry said as he circled Sherlock like a hawk awaiting to strike its prey, "I'm not so daft now am I?"

"Why?" Sherlock asked, "Why do all of this?"

Sherlock heard the gears turn and the chains all pulled Sherlock's limbs in all different directions as pain shot through his body.

"I want to hear them scream," Harry whispered in Sherlock's ear.

"How many have you killed?" Sherlock asked through gritted teeth.

Harry laughed as he cranked the gear once more, Sherlock swallowed his yelp, not wanting to give him the satisfaction he craved.

"Hundreds," Harry whispered a crazed grin on his face, "And you missed them all. The brilliant detective who everyone adores, was beaten. Beaten by a simple Bobby."

"No," Sherlock said shaking his head with a smile, "You are just hiding behind your father's work, aren't you? Herman Mudgett."

Harry's smile faded.

Sherlock began to laugh, "What? You thought you could ditch that name and hope to God that Herman Mudgett would disappear? You took over your father's business of killing, why on earth would you try to hide from that name? Unless, you were disgusted by it."

"Shut up," Harry said as anger raged through his body.

"You weren't disgusted by the crimes. No, if you were you would not be doing what you are today. You're father did this to you. That's why you enjoy putting other people through it. You want them to feel what you felt all those years ago."

'I said SHUT UP!" Harry yelled as he cranked the gears twice more.

Sherlock ground his teeth in pain. He knew his joints couldn't take much more. If those gears turned once more, his joints would pop like popcorn kernels.

Harry was shaking, shaking beyond belief as he paced the room as his hands tangled in his hair. Sherlock looked at him as he tried to calm his breathing from the pain, he must have triggered some sort of psychotic break. He was definitely not mentally stable.

Sherlock saw him grab a large knife off of the table and hold it as if debating before walking over to Sherlock.

"You are going to regret everything you ever did to me!" Harry said angrily.

Sherlock just looked at him.

"Every time you blew me off when I tried to talk to you. Every time you demeaned me, made fun of me, you are going to regret." Harry said as his fist met Sherlock's injured side.

Sherlock groaned in pain.

"You think you are GOD Sherlock Holmes, but you are not."

"You think you are a criminal mastermind, but you are not." Sherlock replied through gritted teeth.

Harry had anger flash in his eyes as he raised the knife.

Two shots were fired, knocking Harry to the ground. Sherlock looked at him before turning the other way and seeing Kylie lower a gun and sprint over to him, picking the locks on his chains.

"You okay?" Kylie asked, concern written all over her face before she realized that the chains were stretched so tightly she wasn't going to be able to get them off.

"You have to unlock it," Gary said as he ran over and undid the stretching rack.

Sherlock looked at her quizzically.

"He helped," Kylie said as she made work of his chains causing Sherlock to sigh in relief of the tension on his joints, "Harry has his daughter."

"Did you kill him?" Sherlock asked.

Kylie shook her head and glanced over at Harry who was whimpering on the ground.

"No, shot a ball and socket joint," Kylie said shrugging at him before she heard Gary begin to whale on Harry.

"Let her GO YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

"Gary NO!" Kylie said leaping off the table and restraining Gary, "You aren't a killer. Don't do this. We need to go find Jill. Lets go find her okay?"

Gary looked at Harry with rage in his eyes and reluctantly nodded.

Kylie turned to help Sherlock get up when she saw Sherlock's face pale.

"NO!"

Then there were gunshots.

**Review?**


	41. Chapter 41

**Thanks so much to all of you who reviewed! Seriously, you guys make my day! And I'm sorry I enjoy torturing you all! Here is the next part. Its super short, and I originally wasn't going to post it because…yeah…I wanted to get the next twist in there too…. trust me, none of you will see this one coming….**

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**Anyhow, get ready for the ride ahead!**

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Kylie froze as she looked at Sherlock, her body froze up. She took a deep breath as she realized that Sherlock was staring over her shoulder with baited breath.

Kylie slowly turned to see Harry's dead body lying on the ground as Gary stood over him holding a gun, calmer than he had been when he held his gun to Kylie.

"Gary," Kylie told him, "put the gun down."

Gary took one more look at Harry's body and set the gun on the counter calmly, "Lets go find John and my daughter."

Kylie looked at Harry's body sadly. She was going to have to turn Gary over to Lestrade. She heard Sherlock sigh and grab her hand as he winced slightly from the pain in his joints.

Kylie took one more look at Harry's body before walking past him and set off back to the lobby of the hotel.

**^#%$#*&#**

John was pacing the lobby awaiting Charlie and Lestrade's arrival when he began to smell….smoke?

He heard car doors slam as Lestrade and Charlie burst through the doors guns drawn.

"You lot were dumb enough to actually come in here?" Lestrade yelled at him, "I though you were kidding!"

"That nut job has a girl and Sherlock, so can we please just forget the lecture for now and go and find them before they are gutted like fish?" John snapped as Gary, Kylie, and a pale Sherlock ran through the doors.

John turned, relief on his face as he saw them all enter in in one piece, "You find the guy."

"He's dead," Sherlock said as Kylie attempted to make him sit down, but him being Sherlock Holmes, refused.

"Can we find my daughter now?" Gary asked impatiently.

"Who the hell are you?" Charlie asked.

"This is Gary guys," Kylie said shoving Sherlock in a chair, "He's been helping us. Harry Gordon has his daughter."

Smoke began to fill the room.

"Harry Gordon?" Lestrade asked as if he knew that name from somewhere.

"Is there a fire?" Kylie asked, ignoring Lestrade.

"Look," John said urgently, "We need to get Jill Now!"

"Harry Gordon?"

"Yes, Lestrade, focus!" Kylie said as she got up.

"No, you two are hurt," Charlie said taking charge, "You stay here and wait for backup to arrive. We'll go find the daughter."

Kylie and Sherlock just looked at him as if he had grown a third head, neither of them EVER stayed behind.

"JUST DO IT!" Charlie yelled as more and more smoke entered the room.

"There's a fire!" Kylie told them, "You can't just run in there."

"MY DAUGHTER IS IN THERE!" Gary said before charging back up the stairwell.

John took one look at them before running up after followed closely by Lestrade and Charlie, leaving Kylie and Sherlock all alone in the room.

They looked at each other, both torn at what to do. They knew they needed to stay and direct back up where it was needed. Especially with a fire and the maze layout of the hotel, they would never find them and most likely cause some officers to lose their lives in the fire.

Kylie sighed and ran over to the phone, dialing the fire department as quickly as she could.

"Who in the hell started the fire anyhow?" Sherlock asked as he winced getting up. His head was starting to spin once more…most likely blood loss.

Kylie was too busy stressing and multitasking to notice though, thank goodness…

"No idea," Kylie said as she finally looked up at him, "Most likely that Jasper creep who was chasing John," Her eyebrows furrowed at him, "You need to sit down."

"I'm fine," Sherlock told her as he grabbed onto the desk for support trying not to show weakness. He never showed weakness, that had been engrained in his mind thanks to his father.

Kylie glared at him, "You do know that if you said 'hey, you know what Kylie? My side really hurts because I have a fracture rib, which punctured my lung and you fixed it…kind-of-sort-of-not-really but cutting me open and sticking part of my pen in me. Not to mention I have been bleeding ever since. Oh, and a psychopath almost ruptured each and everyone of my joint capsules by stretching me out on a rack like something out of an Edgar Allen Poe novel.' I would still love you completely and wholly and not judge you a single bit. So for GOD's SAKE will you just sit down so you don't do any more damage?" Kylie snapped at him sarcastically.

Sherlock just looked at her for a moment as she held his stare before looking around awkwardly and sitting down in the chair beside the desk.

"Thank you," Kylie sighed as she was finally connected with the fire department.

**%#$ #& **

John charged up the smoke filled stairs after Gary, who apparently knew this place like the back of his hand. They wove down the hallway as the heat got more and more intense. John could hear Charlie and Lestrade's footsteps behind him as they ran down the corridor.

Gary stopped suddenly as he saw flames underneath the door. He turned and looked at John in horror.

"This is where Jill is," he said, his voice shaking with fear.

John nodded before taking off his jacket and holding it up as a shield before kicking down the door.

A bannister snapped and fell, nearly hitting one of the two bodies that lay in the room. John sprinted in cautiously. Fire was everywhere. This room must have been where it was started, or very close to the source.

John walked into the room so see something burning in the corner, something that look suspiciously like a human body with a knife protruding out of it. John prayed it wasn't the young girl and was relieved when he spotted the teenage blond girl passed out near the opposite corner of the room. John coughed violently and yanked his jumper up to cover his mouth as he ran over to the girl, pulling her from the wreckage.

He rolled her over and heard Gary come up behind him as he pressed his fingers to her neck, "I can't find a pulse."

"Help her John," Gary said as his voice broke.

"We need to get her out of here!" Charlie yelled to them as Gary picked her up and he and John left the room just in time before another part of the ceiling began to snap, falling right where John and Gary stood before.

They ran back down the hallway making their way towards the lobby and bursting through the doors finding backup, the paramedics, and the fire department waiting for them.

"Oh thank God," Kylie said as she shoved the paramedic off of her and made her way towards Gary and Jill.

"I love you," Gary told his daughter as the medics began their work, lying her on the ground, "I love you so much."

Sherlock managed to shove the medics off as well, standing up and walking over to where Kylie and John stood waiting with baited breath at the young girls fate.

"She cant be more than fifteen," Kylie said sadly, "She's just a kid."

"Please help her," Gary begged the medics as they looked at each other, shaking their heads.

"I'm sorry sir," one of the medics told him, "She's gone."

Gary broke down immediately in front of them.

Kylie shut her eyes in pain. She did not want to see one more innocent person lose their life today. She felt Sherlock grab her hand. Kylie looked up at him, sadness was written all over his face. Kylie turned and buried her head in the crook of his neck before gently putting her arms around him.

She felt Sherlock's arms embrace her tightly as Kylie heard Mary's voice.

"John, Oh thank God!" the strawberry blond cried as she flung herself at him.

"I'm okay Mare," John told her as he stroked her hair trying to calm her before he began coughing violently once more.

"Sir we need to check you out," a medic told him as he saw John coughing.

"I'm fine," John began before Mary pulled herself out of her grasp.

"You are going to the hospital John Watson!" Mary said looking at him harshly.

John looked at her with wide eyes before turning to the medic, "Okay I guess I'm going," he said quietly.

Kylie pulled back out of Sherlock's embrace as the medics began to pull them back to help them only to see Gary in despair. She didn't know why, but she had a strange feeling. One look at Sherlock catching her eye told her he did too. Something didn't fit.

**Not too exciting, I know. But it will all be explained and everything connected in the next chapter. I want to try to do it as ACD did in the novels where Sherlock sits and explains everything, but I don't know if I can manage pulling it off.**

**Review?**


	42. Chapter 42

**Thanks a bunch to everyone who reviewed! You guys are AMAZING! For real! You made my day!**

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**A huge thanks to the girlwhoimagined, ChelGallifreya221B613, Gwilwillith, and DianaLee Holmes for their reviews also!****  
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**I'm glad most of you caught on to the fact that it was from Jill's perspective at the beginning of Chapter 39 and 40. I re read it and was hoping that it made sense to you guys! **

**Also, I hate it when authors did what I did in this chapter, so I am a total and complete hypocrite, in that evidence wasn't brought into light until it was all explained so there was no chance in hell that someone could figure it out…so sorry…but I hope this part of the conclusion makes sense.**

**ENJOY!**

Charlie walked into the hospital sighing to himself and hoping that he wasn't making a mistake by doing what Kylie had practically begged him to do. She and Sherlock were still in the hospital. Sherlock had had a minor surgery to repair his ribs and lung function and was being kept for observation as well as being treated for blood loss.

Kylie on the other hand had gone under surgery as well….kicking and screaming the whole way. Well, not literally, but she definitely wasn't happy with it. It turned out John had been right, she had really jacked her shoulder up. The stab wound hadn't healed and when she had been carrying that suitcase of hers, the wound had essentially reopened as well as tear close to everything that she could in her shoulder. The doctor said it was nearly a miracle her body hadn't gone into shock at the pain.

The couple were a miracle. After his brother had essentially forced the hospital to drug him, Sherlock had received a scan too. The stretching rack had done some damage to his body and stretched out his joint capsules slightly, which by itself, was extremely painful. After he had heard what the man went through down there, Charlie had a new found level of respect for the man.

"Charlie?" He heard Mary say as she and John walked next to them.

"Hey," Charlie said as he switched arms that the box he was carrying was under, "How you feeling John?"

John shrugged, "I've been better I guess," he managed to get out before coughing once more.

Mary shot him a worried look, "I'm fine Mary," John told her.

"You breathed in poisonous gas and have a little more than minor smoke inhalation!" Mary argued with him.

"Mary, I'm walking," John told her, "I'll live."

Mary sighed at her fiancé before turning and looking at Charlie and looking at the box in his hands, "Please don't tell me that's what I think it is?"

"All the evidence and crime scene photos from the Castle Hotel?" Charlie said sighing, "Yeah, Kylie practically begged me."

Mary ran a hand through her hair, "Then I am really going to regret giving her these."

Charlie raised an eyebrow at the massive folder that Mary was carrying along with the slightly small box in John's hands.

"Autopsy report, photo's and x-rays of all of the victims and bodies found along with possessions and clothes," John told him, filling in the blanks for Charlie.

Charlie stopped in his tracks, "You are kidding me."

"Dr. Gibbs! You have to go back to your _own_ room!" A nurse said from a door a few rooms down from where they stood.

"I have my IV in what else do you want from me?" Kylie's voice argued.

"To lay down, you need rest!" the nurse said as John, Mary, and Charlie entered a room to find Sherlock in the bed with Kylie sitting at the foot across from him. She was sitting cross-legged as they had photo's scattering the bed.

"My arm is in a sling, I'm sitting and not running around, and I'm on anti-biotic Seriously woman! What else do you want from me?" Kylie argued.

The nurse narrowed her eyes at her and walked over to her IV which she had rolled up to the bed next to her, "You are supposed to be on a lot more than just…. DID YOU REWIRE YOUR IV?"

"I'm on the anti-biotic," Kylie commented as the nurse gaped at her and began checking Sherlock's before looking at the pair of them murderously.

"You both need to be on pain meds! The pain alone can put you into shock!"

"If we were going to go into Shock from the pain, we would have already," Sherlock said bordly as he looked through the photos, "Though you should know that. I mean, well maybe if you did, you could be a doctor and actually use your brain."

The nurse gaped at him before storming out of the room muttering something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like "I hope you crash…see if I'll save your sorry…"

Charlie watched her leave before turning back to Kylie and Sherlock, "Terrorizing the nurses I see," He told them before setting the box down on the bed in between Sherlock and Kylie.

They both practically lunged at it, as Charlie stared at them. Mary sighed to herself and John rolled his eyes before walking over to the bed and plopping his box down too.

"I can't believe I am enabling the two of you," John muttered.

"Guys, this case is solved!" Mary argued, "Lestrade said that Gary shot the bastard."

"Something doesn't add up," Kylie said as she winced getting out of bed and snatching the X-Rays out of Mary's hand, grabbing her IV and wheeling it over to the X-Ray screen.

"Jesus Kylie," Mary said as she watched her friend attempt to hold the heavy x-rays with her post-surgical shoulder and wincing in pain before Mary snatched them from her and began putting them up, questioning why she was helping her friend unhealthily obsess over an already solved case.

"Did you do a DNA comparison between Gary and Jill?" Sherlock asked.

Mary nodded, "Yeah but it didn't match, not surprisingly though, Jill was adopted."

Kylie looked at Sherlock and smiled before turning back to the X-rays in front of her.

"Whose are theses?" Kylie asked Mary as she pointed to a set of the X-rays.

"The body found in the room with Jill, we haven't been able to identify…"

"The hip, I need the hip of that body and the one of the child, around three years old found in the basement in a steel box," Kylie said cutting her off.

Mary looked at her a moment before following orders. Kylie began to search the screen as best as she could while Sherlock was rooting through the boxes, tossing files out.

"I _just_ organized those," Charlie sighed as he saw all of his work go to shambles as Sherlock dug through it all before pulling out a knife that had been bagged.

John looked at it quizzically. He remembered seeing that knife.

Sherlock inspected it closely before looking at Kylie.

"Ky," he said as Kylie spun around and tossed her the knife.

"Since when do you call her Ky?" Mary asked smiling at the pair of them.

Sherlock shot her a look before returning to rummaging through the boxes as Kylie inspected the knife closely before looking up at Sherlock.

"Really?" she said.

Sherlock shrugged as he caught the knife after she tossed it back, "A psychopath is a psychopath."

John, Mary and Charlie looked at them with complete and utter confusion.

"I'm sorry," John said, "What?"

Kylie turned back to the X-rays and began looking at it again, "I mean I believe it, but…..Mary, is there x-rays for Jill?"

"No, she died of smoke inhalation, why would you need to see X-rays?" Mary asked.

Kylie turned and sighed at the x-ray as Sherlock held up a bag.

"What's this?" he asked.

Mary turned to look at the bag as she walked over and took the bag out of Sherlock's hand taking a better look at it.

"I pulled this ring off of Jill Traven's finger," Mary told him handing it back to him.

"Must be her mother's," Kylie said as she looked at the X-rays.

"No," Mary said looking at it, "That's from the last season. Platinum band, princess cut, that's a lucky girl right there."

Kylie and Sherlock slowly looked at her, as if her analysis of the ring was a revelation.

Mary looked at them uncomfortably, "What? John and I just got engaged, I know a lot about rings."

"Its from last season?" Kylie asked.

Mary nodded, looking at her skeptically.

"You're sure," Sherlock asked.

"Positive, what's going on?"

Kylie's headshot to Sherlock, "It all makes sense now. It's a Manson thing. Exactly like it. God, we really were dealing with a psychopath."

Sherlock smiled as he looked at a photo and then grabbed his phone, "Oh this case….its better than I could have ever hoped."

"You'd better let Lestrade know," Kylie said as she walked over to the bed, dragging her IV with her.

"Let's hope he'd broken his usual habit of being a complete imbicile," Sherlock said as he sent a message and scooted over, pulling the blanket back and allowing Kylie to hop in beside him handing her the photo.

John, Mary, and Charlie looked at them as if they had both begun to start talking gibberish.

"What are you two on about?" John asked, "The killer is dead, Gary shot the bastard."

"No," Sherlock told him, "Not all the killers are dead."

"Killers, as in more than one?" Charlie asked slightly shocked.

"That's the usual definition," Sherlock said as he moved slightly to allow Kylie's elbow to rest on his torso, keeping it in a comfortable position for her.

"Wow, would not have seen that one coming," Kylie muttered as she set down the crime scene photo and got comfortable next to Sherlock.

"We've already established that the killer had at least one associate," Sherlock told them.

"How?" Mary asked.

"The records from the models that they made from the victims. It was either Herman Mudgett or a man by the name of Henry Pitzel that sold them to the University or hospital," Kylie reminded them.

"Pitzel?" Charlie asked looking at his notes, "So we still have one scumbag unaccounted for."

"No," Kylie told him, "You are missing the point."

"The point being?" Charlie asked.

"There is more than one person in on this whole house of horrors," Kylie told him with a smile.

"Yeah that psychopath Jasper who chased me," John said.

"One with a lesser mind might think that," Sherlock said as he glanced at his phone in annoyance, earning a look and then a slight laugh form Kylie.

"Jasper is a part of it," Kylie told him, "But not a main part."

John looked at her, "You're kidding me? That nut job chased me down the corridor!"

"I said he's a part of it," Kylie said raising an eyebrow at him, "But he's not a planner. He's essentially a schizophrenic."

"You never even saw him!" John argued! "Plus, he's out there on the loose! God knows what that Bastard is up to!"

"No he's not," Kylie told him, "He's dead."

John stopped and looked at her, "He is?"

"The other body in the room where Jill was found? Ring a bell? Who else could it be John?" Sherlock told him.

"Another victim stuck in there with the poor girl?" John asked.

"I wouldn't say that…" Kylie muttered to herself before Sherlock began to talk over her once more.

"No, based on your description of him, Kylie can ID him." Sherlock snapped.

"Based on a photo?" Charlie asked.

Kylie grinned at him, "Have you EVER worked with me?"

Charlie smiled and shrugged in agreement.

"I still don't get it, how do you know he had a mental disease?" Mary asked.

Kylie held out the photo that Sherlock had handed her earlier, "See the slight discoloration on the frontal bone?" Kylie told them as John, Mary, and Charlie gathered around the photo, "That's a bone scar healing on the frontal lobe, most likely from his late adolescent years. Severe head trauma like that can injure a lobe of the brain. In this case the frontal lobe, causing personality changes and in rare cases an increase in aggression and violence that manifests its self in a similar way to violent schizophrenics."

Mary shook her head in amazement as she looked at the photo, never in a million years would she have ever picked that up.

"So if Jasper wasn't bright enough or stable enough to be the associate, who was?" John asked.

"Harry Gordon of course," Sherlock said simply.

They all stared at him.

"Harry Gordon was the psychopathic bastard who did this whole thing!" Charlie told him.

"No, Harry Gordon is Henry Pitzel," Sherlock told him.

"How in the hell…." Charlie began before Sherlock cut him off.

"Quite simple really," Sherlock said at his full deduction speed, "Harry Gordon isn't the type of person that you think could even be a cop let alone a psychopath. Sure, he may just be good at acting, but he's a con man, and mainly a con man. His appearance at the Yard is always timid, shy he tries to blend in and yet wants to point himself out to me. What crazed murder who has no desire to get caught does that? A stupid one maybe, but no. Harry is the type that seeks approval, approval of others. That's why he had that expensive hair cut, barely affordable on the salary of a Bobby. He dressed in a way that was fashionable, but looking at his stature even when he felt he was in a safe environment he was uncomfortable in them, as if he wasn't even comfortable in his own skin per say. _But Sherlock, you said he was a completely different person when you saw him!_ Yes, but in that event I was also chained to a table, in capable of fighting back. In conclusion, Harry is uncomfortable with himself and constantly seeks others approval. He was even seeking my approval right before he tried to kill me, that's why he took credit for the entire thing."

They stood there shocked for a moment gaping before Kylie asked with a faked sarcasm, fully knowing the answer, "But Sherlock, how on earth do you know for a fact that he was not the killer?"

"His hands. When he tried to stab me, his hands were shaking. One single insult and he broke down. Heavy shaking, heavy breathing? Panic Attack. Probably an onset due to childhood trauma. And since when are victims nice to the people he was about to kill?"

"They could have been knocked out," John said slightly regaining his composure.

"No, he's gets off on torturing people, why else would someone have a stretching rack in their basement?" Kylie imputed.

"No, wait," John said, "You called him Herman Mudgett, that's when he freaked out. You thought he was."

"We all did," Kylie pointed out.

"I knew," Sherlock told her.

Kylie just looked at him, "No you didn't."

"Yes, I did."

Kylie just rolled her eyes and shook her head at the rest of them.

"So who's Herman Mudgett?" Mary asked, "I mean Gary thought that Harry was behind all of this, so obviously the real Mudgett is hiding underground."

"Or in plain sight," Sherlock told them with a smile.

**Review?**


	43. Chapter 43

**Alright! HUGE hug to those of you who reviewed! I LOVE YOU!**

**Here's the conclusion. I hope this will clear up everything! Be patient though, it will hopefully all be explained by the end of the chapter!**

**Enjoy!**

"So who's Herman Mudgett?" Mary asked, "I mean Gary thought that Harry was behind all of this, so obviously the real Mudgett is hiding underground."

"Or in plain sight," Sherlock told them with a smile.

The room was silent for a moment.

"You know who the real Herman Mudgett is?" Charlie asked, "The real guy behind all of those murders?"

Sherlock looked at him, "Of course I do."

"Spit it out Sherlock! We need to get the bastard into custody!" Charlie told him, his patience wearing thin.

"You already do," Kylie told him.

"Thomas?" Mary gaped, "You're psychotic boyfriend who wants nothing more to kill you and essentially take over the world as a bond villain?"

Kylie rolled her eyes, " Gee, thanks for reminding me. And he's ex by the way."

"It was Thomas?" John asked.

"For once, Thomas had nothing to do with it," Kylie told them.

"Well, the only other person that is left from the Castle is…no….." John said as he gaped.

"Gary?" Mary said catching on, "Gary is Herman Mudgett? The REAL Herman Mudgett?"

Sherlock grinned as Kylie nodded.

"You're kidding…"

"Nope," Kylie told them, "Sherlock I knew that there was something up with him. He always turned up when freaky things would happen. For example when I saw the painting's eyes move, we turned around and he was there. Which by the way did happen," Kylie shot at Sherlock and John, "I saw when Gary was leading me through the halls there was a switch that ran a circle of them, moving the eyes any which way while blending into the canvas."

Sherlock rolled his eyes at Kylie, that was beside the point.

"First of all," John commented, "Why in the hell would he bother to do that with the paintings? And second of all, what about how messed up Gary was about how Herman had his daughter?"

"He likes to scare the crap out of his victims. Fear instills a sort of torture that he gets off on," Kylie told him, "Just like the ghost you saw."

"That was real!" John argued.

"That was a glass case that came up in the hall and a fog machine that blew the smoke in before a vacuum removed the smoke, making it look as if it disappeared," Kylie told him.

"Never mind the ghost!" Charlie said, "Gary wasn't faking about how he felt about Jill, that girl is definitely his daughter. Plus why would he kill his associate? Gary is not Mudgett!"

"That's what he wants you to think," Sherlock told him.

"Let's start from the beginning shall we?" Kylie asked Sherlock before turning back to the rest of the group, "Coming in, we knew that Herman Mudgett was the only person who knew the true layout of the Castle hotel. He was passed down the blue prints from his father, the original builder. Not even the contractors knew the true layout. He kept changing builders so that no one, but him and later his son would know the layout, not even his associates."

"And Gary, who is just being forced to stay there, just magically knows every crook and cranny of the place even though he told us he hadn't been there for long?" Sherlock asked.

"So he knew his way around?" Charlie told them, "So what? If I was stuck in that place I would know my way around, and I'm betting the associates do too."

"No," Kylie said shaking her head, "It was obvious that while Harry was able to get to the basement to take me and Sherlock hostage, he really didn't know where much was."

"His eyes were searching for where to go next, almost as if he was straining to remember," Sherlock added.

"Next when I ran into him in the basement, I had just stumbled upon everything that I needed to prove that there was a mass murderer living in London, and trust me, there is no such thing as coincidences," Kylie told them.

"So why kill Harry?" Mary asked, "He confessed to the crime, leaving Gary free to run and continue his brigade."

"He is proud of his work, so when Harry took credit, he killed him. Not to mention he messed up by leaving that blood by the dumpster at our last crime scene," Sherlock said.

"He wanted to get caught?" Mary asked.

"Subconsciously," Kylie informed her.

"He thinks he's too clever to get caught, that's why he taunted us with the bone dusk and fragments," Sherlock continued.

"Which leaves us to part three," Kylie said, continuing her spiel, "Gary was going to shoot me when he found me, but realized that he could literally get away with everything if he gained my trust. I took his sob story at the time, but it wasn't until now that I could really see what was going on. You see, I didn't take into account how quickly he turned on and off his emotions. He would switch back and forth, only acting normal when he thought no one was looking. I didn't see a trace of it until we got to the room where Sherlock was with Harry. We were hiding, but I didn't see anything on his face until Sherlock called him Herman, that's when Gary began to lose it."

"He covered up his anger by pretending that Jill was his daughter and was upset with her kidnapping," Sherlock finished.

"Wait, Jill's not his daughter?" Charlie asked, now thoroughly confused.

"No," Kylie said holding up the ring, "She's his wife."

"She's fifteen!" Mary argued believing that the comment was absurd.

"He's crazy," Kyle countered.

"That ring could be anyone's how on earth do you know she's married?" John asked.

"I'm 90% sure that if you check that 3 year old's DNA it will be a match to Gary and Jill," Kylie told them.

Mary gaped at her, "You are telling me, that that girl had a child at the age of 12 and with a man that is literally three times her age?"

Kylie nodded sadly, "Based on the bone markers and facial structure, I'm sure that they are. The worst part is is that they tortures that poor kid."

"She was a sex slave maybe!" John told her, "Mudgett is crazy enough to do that."

Sherlock shook his head, "No, she killed Jasper and started the fire. All for him."

"Just like Charles Manson, Mudgett brain washed her into killing her own child and essentially herself," Sherlock finished for her.

"She killed him in self defense and the fire was an accident," Charlie argued as he crossed his arms.

"No way," Kylie said giving him the crime scene photo from earlier, "You see the scorch pattern and the cracks in the bone? That's definitely the work of an accelerant. Most likely gasoline. She started that fire on purpose."

"She killed Jasper, whom you are claiming she worked with," John asked making sure she was hearing them correctly, "And essentially killed herself and allowed Mudgett to kill their love child?"

Kylie nodded her head sadly, "She was most likely brain washed by Mudgett. The same thing happened in the States with Charles Manson. He brainwashed his followers and made them believe he was essentially God and had them commit murder, kill their own children, and even commit suicide claiming it was for their own good."

"How is torturing a three year old for his own good?" Mary asked looking as if she was going to hurl.

"I don't know," Kylie said shaking her head in disgust, "Crazy is never rational."

"So wait," Charlie said closing his eyes briefly, "How on earth do you know that Jill was there willingly and that she murdered Jasper. She may have just killed him in self-defense and covered it up."

"No defensive wounds on her body, she was clean, neatly dressed, showered often and was well fed and uninjured," Sherlock listed off, "Not the usual qualities seen in a hostage situation."

"Plus the knife," Kylie told them, "Look at the it."

John held up the knife in the evidence bag. It had not been the same one that Jasper had tried to kill him with in the corridor as he had thought. The knife was elegant in nature, almost looked antique, and vaguely familiar.

"It's a knife used in the Napoleonic wars by one of the surgeons, or a replica, a very good replica," Kylie explained.

"Mudgett's father who ran this place before him, was a well known collector of such artifacts based on the fact that his grandfather three generations before him served under Napoleon. Passed down to the next once they became a Doctor," Sherlock informed them.

"Mudgett was a doctor?" Charlie asked astoundedly.

"How else would he be able to get the connections to sell the models and organs to hospitals and Universities?" Kylie asked rhetorically, "Plus he had to have a lot of medical knowledge to know how to dissect properly and put the models together."

"So if Mudgett's knife was used to kill Jasper, you think that Mudgett gave the knife to Jill and ordered her to kill him?" John asked.

"Exactly," Sherlock told him, "She killed him and expected Mudgett and her to run off together as Kylie has informed me."

"What?" Kylie asked as John and Charlie gave her a questioning look while Mary agreed, "Its what any fifteen year old brainwashed psychopath would think."

"But what she didn't realize is that when we were in the lobby trying to figure out what was going on, Gary pressed a button locking all of the doors to the 'hostage' rooms from the inside so she could not get out to the hallway that Gary had lead us through," Sherlock continued.

"So he killed her too?" John asked, "I don't believe that, he was so heart broken, so upset. He begged me to save her."

"That's what tipped us off to this in the first place," Kylie told him, "When Jill had died, his grief was so quick to come. He didn't even go through any other stage."

"Stage?" Charlie asked.

"The five stages of grieving," Mary informed him, "First you have denial, then anger, bargaining, depression, then finally acceptance."

"He went straight to depression, no shock that she was dead, no nothing," Kylie told them.

"But she was his wife? You think he would care a little bit," Mary said.

"He killed her in the first place by locking her in that room. Plus do you really think he loved her? Charles Manson had like 23 wives all out of convenience to assist in the brainwashing. He probably told her that she was doing this for him out of love," Kylie said with slight disgust.

"If Mudgett was selling the bodies of his victims for money, then he most likely was a con-man. My bet is that Jill was orphaned and had an inheritance," John said as he began to check Sherlock and Kylie's IVs.

"oh, he definitely was a con-man," Kylie said, "Remember how we found that the missing people all had insurance policies taken out on them and the wives never collected the money or knew about it?"

"Yeah and the insurance companies said that they had," Charlie said remembering.

"Mudgett killed the victims, stole their identity and took out the policy, paying for it and collecting it himself. He most likely made it essential for the staff, as to draw less attention to it when they were still alive," Sherlock told them.

"Where as the missing people, he made excuses and lied to people while lying on the application for the policy, most likely claiming it had gotten lost and faked the paper work to make it look as if the victim had taken it out well before they disappeared. That's why he used a variety of companies," Kylie finished.

Charlie sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "God, so Gary really was behind all of this."

"And we all fell for it," Kylie said nodding as she yawned, exhaustion overcoming her body suddenly.

Mary saw Sherlock blink a couple of times, his posture slowly relaxing before he turned to John, "What did you…..?" he began to ask before his eyelids became too heavy to keep open and his head lolled back into the pillow.

Mary looked at them slightly shocked as she saw Kylie's head already on Sherlock's shoulder, fast asleep.

"What happened?" she asked concerned, "They shouldn't fall asleep in the middle of sentences. Something's wrong!"

"No," John said as he turned around two syringes in his hand, "I just rewired their IV back to how it should be."

Mary smiled, "And sedated them."

John shrugged before coughing, "Well, they need to rest."

Charlie smiled, "We should get her back to her own bed so they don't hurt each other in their sleep. Plus I think the nurses would kill us if we left them this way."

John moved the evidence off the bed as Mary grabbed Kylie's IV. Charlie picked Kylie up out of the bed as gently as he could trying his hardest not to move her shoulder.

"They are going to be pissed when they wake up," Charlie whispered, "That's why Kylie was so upset about surgery, she hates drugs."

Mary smiled as they walked towards Kylie's room, "Truthfully, I think that they'll be more upset about not waking up next to one another."

**So, I hope that all made sense. This case was based off of a real guy whose real name was Herman Mudgett but he was better known as H H Holmes. He was known as "America's first Serial killer" in that he killed over 100 people in his hotel (which the name is not known, but it was referred to by police as Murder Castle). He was a con man and married multiple wives, killing them and his children after he had no more use for them. He did sell the bodies and organs to hospitals due to his status as a doctor (Why no one questioned this, I have no clue). He conned an old lady out of her pharmacy and built the Castle above it. He did in fact build it as a maze and used multiple builders to keep the true structure a secret. **

**He also did have an associate Pitzel who worked for him and he did later kill. **

**He tortured every single one of his victims. He did have a stretching rack and would commonly use it….**

**In sum… He was an F***ED up individual. **

**I hope you guys liked this case and I hope it all made sense in the end!**

**Review?**


	44. Chapter 44

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! You guys are seriously amazing.**

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**A HUGE THANKS TO thegirlwiththebrowneyes, thegirlwhoimagined, ChelGallifreya221B613, Oreal770 (Thanks so much! That's what I was going for!), Gwilwillith, and DianaLee Holmes for their reviews also!**** I don't think you guys realize how much better my day gets when I am miserable reading about physics and I get a review…I get SO happy. So thank you!**

**Sorry its short! It's all I had time to write right now!**

**Enjoy!**

"Charlie," A stressed looking John said opening up his front door, "What are you doing here?"

Charlie gave him a questioning look, "I came by to tell you that we got him, Gary Traven."

"You had him before didn't you?" John asked slightly out of breath, "I mean the Yard was holding him on the murder of Harry."

"Yeah, but we had to convince our chief that he's a massive serial killer…. You alright?"

John sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Yeah, Um… I'm about to meet Mary's parents."

Charlie grinned, "Oh the meet the future in-laws. Wait, you are engaged and you didn't even meet here parents yet?"

John gave a stressed sigh, "I know…"

Charlie laughed at him. John was nervous, very nervous. Hell, he had seen John stared down a gun and run into a burning room, and yet his fiancés parents scared him much more than that.

"Good luck buddy. I'm going to see Sherlock and Kylie and see if they are awake yet," Charlie told them.

"Thanks, I'll need it," John told him, "And will you try to calm them down for me? I drugged them to help them, the last thing I need is them seeking revenge on me for it."

"I'll see you later, and good luck!" Charlie said as he walked away towards his car.

John waved goodbye and shut the door.

He just wanted this to be over with. He loved Mary with all of his heart. He knew he wanted to marry her, he fell more and more in love with that woman everyday, but meeting her parents scared the hell out of him.

Mary had grown up in a pretty rural part of England. Her grandfather had been a protestant minister and had come from a very strict up bringing. Mary had told him it wasn't until university that she had really come out of her shell and began to become who she was today. Needless to say, he was almost glad that Sherlock was locked up in the hospital. Knowing his best friend he would show up carrying a severed head and ruin the dinner he was about to have with his soon to be in-laws…the last thing he wanted was for them to see the chaos that was his everyday life. The same chaos that he was about to drag their daughter into.

**%#$ & *&**

Charlie strolled into the hospital, coffee in hand when he felt someone fall into step with him.

"Charlie Edwards, I presume?" the voice asked.

Charlie turned to see the man who had been in Kylie's office in San Diego.

"Uh…yeah," Charlie said, slightly bewildered, "I'm sorry, I don't believe I ever caught your name."

"Mycroft Holmes," Mycroft said with a smile and twirl of his umbrella as they made their way towards Kylie and Sherlock's rooms.

"Holmes?" Charlie asked putting two and two together, "As in Sherlock Holmes? As in …..I'm going to guess brother?"

Mycroft smiled, "I'd say that I'd take it that the two of you have met, but then again, I already know you have."

"Is that why Kylie was so upset when you showed up in San Diego? You wanted her and Sherlock to get back together that's why she flipped out about having to call in the Yard on the Ripper case," Charlie said as they walked down the corridor.

Mycroft smiled once more, "Kyleigha and my brother's relationship is one that is none of my business."

Charlie raised his eyebrows at him, "Really, because that's not how Kylie describes how you treat their relationship."

Mycroft smiled as they reached Kylie's room, only to find the bed empty.

Charlie raised an eyebrow, "Well the sedative must have worn off. She must be in Sherlock's room."

They continued down the hallway to Sherlock's room and opened the door.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me," Charlie said as he dropped his arms.

Mycroft sighed as they found the room to be completely empty.

"Excuse me, nurse?" Charlie asked a passing nurse, "Can you tell me where Kylie Gibbs and Sherlock Holmes are? Were they released?"

The nurse gave him a strange look and looked in the room before anger covered her face.

"Those two!" the nurse said in frustration, "I told them they had to stay. Security was supposed to watch them!"

"They just left?" Charlie asked before pulling out his phone and calling Kylie as he turned to Mycroft, "Why doesn't that surprise me at all?"

**%#$ & **

"Hey mum!" Mary said as she answered the door. John sat on the couch as his heart felt as if it were about to beat right out of his chest. He saw an older strawberry blond woman step through the doorway. She was petite and thin, built a lot like Mary. The woman looked at him and smiled.

"You must be John," the woman said as she walked over and hugged him.

"That's me," John said nervously, "Uh….hi Mrs. Morstan,"

"Please Claudia," she said as a gray haired man with Mary's eyes came up beside her, "Its so lovely to finally meet you. Mary has told us so much about you," Claudia gushed.

"John," Mary said as she walked up beside him and took his hand attempting to calm his nerves, "This is my Dad, James."

"Lovely to meet you son," James said gruffly taking John's hand. He smiled at John, but for some reason John felt uneasy, threatened almost. It was most likely just in his head, this happened almost every time he met girl's parents, just…not usually to this degree.

"Mary tells us you work with Scotland Yard," James said as he and Claudia sat down on the couch across from John as Mary poured the tea.

"Yes," John gulped nervously, "I work with them quite often."

"You were a Doctor in the army though?" Claudia asked.

"Yes, my old flat-mate and I consult on cases with the Yard."

Claudia smiled, "That must be interesting."

"Yes, it is," John nodded and rack his brain for another topic to go to, the last thing he wanted was for the topic to be converted to Sherlock and the chaos that he loved so much.

"So Mary tells me that you used to teach James," John said taking a sip of his tea and wishing that it were a little stronger…Like a shot of bourbon…

"Yes, I taught for thirty-two years," James said smiling at him.

"I don't believe Mary ever told me what you taught," John said glancing at Mary who looked down and became extremely interested in her cup of tea.

"I taught at a seminary," James said with a smile.

"You're a preacher?" John asked trying to hide his shock.

"Reverend James Morstan," James said, "That's me."

"Oh," John said. It wasn't as if he was uncomfortable with religion. He believed in God, he just didn't really like the idea that his fiancé was the daughter of a preacher…

"James taught at the seminary all of his life. Even ran the orphanage," Claudia told him as she grabbed his hand lovingly.

…_Great…how on earth was he supposed to get her parents to like him when her dad was a freaking saint…._

"Taught each of them to avoid and fight the evils and sin of drugs, alcohol, violence, and sex out of wedlock," James said with a smile.

…_shit…_

"Are you religious at all John?" Claudia asked.

"Yes," John said quickly before he really even had time to think about it, "Yes, I am…very much so….I love God."

"_I love God"? Seriously…come on man…Get your head together._

James and Claudia smiled at him that was apparently the right answer.

"Good," James said, "Because when Mary told us the two of you were engaged after only knowing each other for ten months and moving in together, I have to admit we were a little worried. But once Mary told us that the two of you were sleeping in separate rooms, we feel a little better about the situation."

"Separate…?" John began before Mary's elbow met his side.

"Yes, John and I have discussed this Dad," Mary said cutting him off, "I remember everything that you taught me."

"Just remember," James said as he got up and kissed his daughter's forehead, "God is always watching sweetie."

…_this could not get any worse…._

John looked at Mary, his eyes wide in shock as he attempted to keep himself from gaping. Mary was trying to avoid all eye contact and looks from John while still clinging onto his hand.

"Where's your bathroom dear?" James asked.

"Down the hall to the left Dad," Mary told him.

James smiled and walked away.

John leaned in and kissed Mary's temple before quietly whispering in her ear, "Thanks for the heads up."

Mary gave him a sheepish look as John saw Claudia smiling at the pair of them.

She opened her mouth to talk when there was a knock on the door before it opened.

"Hi, we are so sorry we are late," Kylie said as she walked in the flat fully dressed but still wearing her sling, "We would have been here sooner, but this one just had to read one more book to the blind kids at the orphanage."

John and Mary sat there dumbstruck as Kylie and Sherlock walked into their flat both wearing fake over-enthusiastic smiles.

John thought back to when he had told him self that this situation could not have been worse, and mentally slapped himself…..because, it could, and it had gotten much, MUCH worse.

**Review?**


	45. Chapter 45

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I seriously love you guys!  
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**Here's the next chapter! Let me know what you guys think! ….it gets a tad bit absurd here….**

Kylie and Sherlock grinned at their friends quickly before, an even bigger shock happened.

Sherlock strolled over to Claudia and, with his fake and charming smile John had only seen him use on undercover cases as Jonathan Wiley, extended his hand, "It is such a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm shocked we haven't before."

John was speechless…..well, at least he didn't bring a severed head.

"What are you two doing here?" Mary asked, "You both just had surgery! You should be in the hospital!"

"Surgery?" Claudia asked, looking at Sherlock and Kylie, "Oh dear! What happened?"

"They were in the same fire that John was," Mary answered for her mother.

"We were saving a family of kittens from a burning building," Kylie added trying to stop herself from laughing, "You know John, he heard the mews for help and had to save them."

"Did you really?" Claudia asked him with wide eyes.

Kylie chocked back on laughter while John and Sherlock stared at her in confusion. Did she really not understand sarcasm.

"Yeah mum, John's a regular kitten-saver," Mary said as she rolled her eyes at Kylie, "Seriously, how in the hell did you two get released? You should still have your IVs in! Especially Sherlock! He had a collapsed lung!"

"oh Mary, don't be such a grouch," her father said as he came out of the bathroom and smiled at them, "If God had meant for them to be in the hospital still, they would be."

Sherlock opened his mouth to say something to James before John cut him off.

"Sherlock help me with the ….the…..the thing please," John said as he practically dragged his friend into the kitchen, "Kylie help too please!"

Kylie smiled at them all before waltzing into the kitchen after them.

Once in the safety of the kitchen John turned murderous.

"What in the HELL are you two doing here?" He asked, his face slightly red.

Kylie grinned at him, "Karma's a bitch aint it?"

John gaped at her, "THIS IS BECAUSE I SEDATED THE TWO OF YOU?" he said in a harsh whisper.

"You had no right," Sherlock said simply.

John just shook his head as if he were lost for words.

"How did you even know that they were going to be here?" he asked, "I didn't even know they were coming until this morning."

"Oh, Mary told me," Kylie said to him as she leaned up against the counter and adjusted her sling.

"Mary tol….?...ugh…." John began before he groaned and shut his eyes, today was a nightmare.

"How did you know before I did?" John asked once he had taken a moment to contain his anger.

Kylie just grinned at him, "Women talk…"

John just glared at her.

"…about _everything…."_ Kylie said looking him up and down to get a rouse out of him.

John's face dropped as Kylie gave him one more smile and wag of her eyebrows before walking back out into the living room.

"So, Mrs. Morstan," John heard her say, "there is a story about that broach and I want to hear it."

John looked at Sherlock who was looking after her with a grin playing on his face, which made John even angrier.

John fought the strong urge to punch his best friend before Mary came to his rescue by popping her head into the kitchen, "What are you two doing in here?"

Mary took one look at John and sighed before she walked in and ran a hand up John's chest as if to comfort him before turning to Sherlock.

"The two of you should be in the hospital. You could tear your stiches with every step and Kylie could screw up her shoulder. God, I should not have mentioned this to Kylie," Mary told herself as she looked at John.

John let out a breath he was holding and pulled her in for a hug. He just wanted her in his arms, he just wanted to marry this woman and not deal with her parents or his friends who decided to make this day a living hell just to spite him.

Mary laid a kiss in the crook of his neck before pulling back and looking at him.

"I'm sorry I didn't warn you more about my parents. I should have told you everything. I just didn't….." Mary took a deep breath, "I just didn't want to chase you off."

Mary looked down at the ground before she felt John's hand go under her chin to lift her head up. He kissed her tenderly as Mary felt all of her problems slip away. John pulled back and looked at her sincerely.

"I don't care how big of a nut job your family is. I wouldn't care if your dad was Jack the Ripper, I would still love you as much as I do right now," John told her before he pushed some of her hair behind her ear, "I'm in this for good Mare."

Mary smiled at him as she tried to push back the tears that were coming, "I'm the luckiest woman in the world to have found a man like you."

John smiled and kissed her once more before pulling her into his chest. He couldn't help but feel that with her in his arms, they could get through anything.

Mary wiped her eyes and pulled away, "I'm sorry Sherlock, I know you hate…." Mary said as she turned to find the spot where Sherlock had been earlier only to find it vacant.

They looked around the kitchen before looking at each other with wide eyes.

Kylie and Sherlock were alone with her very religious, and very impressionable parents.

They gave each other one more look before sprinting back out into the living room to find Claudia and James bent over a piece of paper smiling while Kylie and Sherlock sat next to each other on the couch grinning wildly.

"Oh John," Claudia gushed as she watched her daughter and john enter the room, "Who knew my daughter would find such a romantic."

John looked at her completely and utterly confused as Kylie's smirk got even larger as her eyes sparkled.

"I'm sorry," John asked as he walked down and took the paper from Claudia and looked at it, recognizing it immediately.

"Kylie and Sherlock were just showing us your emails to Mary are very sweet son," James said smiling at him, "You treat her as any man should."

John looked at him for a moment, "Thanks…I guess…"

He then turned to Sherlock and Kylie, "Where did you get these? Did you hack my laptop?"

"It wasn't exactly Fort Knox," Sherlock said in a slight boredom, "plus it needed to be confiscated with all of those naked women on your laptop."

Kylie choked on her tea as John and Mary paled.

"When you _what?_" James asked looking at John in a completely different way as anger and a slight disgust took over.

John felt the heat come to his cheek as he racked his brain for an explanation.

"Dad, look…" Mary began before Kylie cut her off.

"We forgot to tell you," Kylie said smiling, "Sherlock is referring to the Romanian religious art that John is so fond of. You can't get him to stop talking about it. It drives Sherlock crazy, but they really are beautiful. You see they represent the angles as naked figures in that they are pure."

Silence was in the room as John looked at Kylie as if she had lost her mind.

"That's not what…" Sherlock began before Kylie's heel dug into the arch of Sherlock's foot.

"John's almost an expert in the field," Kylie told them before smiling, "We're so proud."

"Exactly," Mary said picking up the hint and deciding that it was better than telling her parents she wasn't the girl they thought she was, "The art is absolutely beautiful Mum, you would love it."

"John, we had no idea you were an man of medicine and art," James said now smiling at him, "Especially religious art."

"Oh yeah, that's me," John said as there was yet another knock on the door, "I'm your everyday DaVinchi."

John opened the door to find Charlie standing outside of it looking extremely stressed out as he pushed his way in and ran a hand through his hair, "Sherlock and Kylie escaped from the hospital. Can you believe that?" he ranted not noticing anyone else in the room.

"Charlie," John said trying to get him to notice.

"I went to Baker Street and it looks like they had been there, but I don't know where in the hell they are! I mean they should be pretty much unconscious on pain meds…"

"CHARLIE," Mary yelled finally snapping Charlie out of his rant.

Charlie looked around with wide eyes as Kylie smiled and waved at him.

"Oh, I am terribly sorry," Charlie said as he saw Mary's parents gaping at him, "Are you Mary's parents?" he asked looking at Mary's mother, "I can see where she gets her good looks from," he told her smiling charmingly as he took her hand.

"Really Charlie?" Kylie asked.

"ALRIGHT!" John said finally snapping, "You lot, out!" he said to Kylie, Sherlock, and Charlie. "I'm serious. I get your point, I'll never drug you again. But that does not give you the right to sabotage this day. So OUT now! You need to go back to the hospital!"

"Sabotage this day?" James asked.

"OUT!" John said yanking Kylie and Sherlock up and shoving them towards the door before dragging Charlie away from Mary's mother by the shirt collar and throwing him towards the door.

"John, what are you…?" Charlie began as John shoved them all out of the door.

"GOODBYE!" John said as he slammed the door and locked it behind them.

John let out a breath as he tried to compose himself before turning around.

James and Claudia were gaping at him as well as Mary in silence.

Claudia then turned to Mary, "You never told us he had a temper."

John closed his eyes once more.

_Huge bloody thanks to Sherlock Holmes and Kylie Gibbs._

**Review?**


	46. Chapter 46

**A MASSIVE thanks to everyone who reviewed! Seriously you guys are amazing!**

**Here's the shortest chapter ever! It's small, but leads into the next part of the story!**

**So I hope you enjoy!**

Sherlock and Kylie sat on the couch at Baker Street the next morning after escaping from the hospital once more.

After they had been banished from John and Mary's flat the afternoon prior, Charlie had taken them immediately to the hospital once more. They had to wait until Charlie fell asleep in the chair (he had refused to leave) before carefully finding their clothes and walking out of the hospital unnoticed once more.

Neither of them could sleep based on the fact they had refused pain meds. Both of them would rather be in pain, then have their minds clouded by pain meds. Well, more like Sherlock refused to have his mind clouded, and Kylie just hated the side effects of them.

They sat on the couch watching the news from afar, neither were really interested as they had been watching it all night as they waited for Charlie to fall asleep and once more while they couldn't sleep.

Kylie sighed as they watched the news caster run through the same line of stories for the 23rd time and dropped her head onto Sherlock's shoulder, wincing slightly as she moved her shoulder.

Sherlock looked down at her. She was in pain, he could tell. Her eyes were shut as she tried to sleep through the pain. She looked exhausted.

He reached his hand across, grimacing as he felt his stiches pull painfully. He brushed his hand through her hair. She smiled slightly, under his touch.

"I hate this Sherlock," Kylie muttered as he put his hand down, granting him slight relief, "We cant do anything."

She was right, Sherlock board. Board out of his mind. The only thing that was keeping him from running around and finding a new case was the fact that he knew Kylie needed to at least sleep.

"You should take the pain meds," Sherlock told her.

Kylie's face contorted into confusion before she lifted her head up and looked at him.

"Says you," Kylie said raising her eyebrows at him, "You are the one who was stretched on a freaking stretching rack and had abdominal surgery! You need the meds more than I do!"

"I'm fine," Sherlock said stubbornly as he looked at her, "You're exhausted."

Kylie smiled at him, "So are you."

Sherlock leaned over, not caring that pain was surging through his side as he kissed her forehead. When he pulled back Kylie was looking at him with concern, she opened her mouth to speak but couldn't due to John flinging open the door and storming in.

"REALLY?" he asked as he stood in front of the couch and stared at them with his hands on his hips.

Sherlock and Kylie looked at him quizzically.

"You two left the hospital AGAIN! Against Doctor's orders! Do you two like being hurt? Because that's the way it's going to stay if the two of you don't try and heal up," John lectured.

Kylie opened her mouth to argue before John held up a hand.

"No!" John said cutting her off, "You two are NOT fine. You pretty much destroyed your shoulder and Sherlock had a collapsed lunch and broken rib along with every single joint stretched out by a medieval stretching rack. So no, the two of you are NOT fine and don't give me that crap."

Kylie and Sherlock stared at John in silence before Sherlock rolled his eyes, "You are just upset about last night."

John glared at the pair of them, "YOU THINK? I mean Jesus Sherlock. I am meeting Mary's parents for the first time and you two waltz in and make an already horrible situation far FAR worse!" he ranted as he plopped himself into a chair, "I have to learn all about Romanian religious art."

Kylie snorted with laughter as a grin played on Sherlock's face.

"I could have just let you explain the porn on your laptop," Kylie said shrugging with her good shoulder.

"SHERLOCK SHOULDN'T HAVE BROUGHT IT UP IN THE FIRST PLACE!" John gaped.

"It's the truth," Sherlock said looking at him as if he had slightly lost his mind.

"I WAS MEETING HER PARENTS!" John yelled at him, "YOU DON'T SAY THAT IN FRONT OF PARENTS!"

Sherlock rolled his eyes before he got up, grimacing.

"Sherlock stop!" Kylie said as she looked at him with great concern.

"You tore your stiches," John said leaping up and running around the room looking for a med kit.

Kylie stood up as Sherlock looked down. Sure enough, his shirt was soaked with blood on his left side. Kylie looked at him with pain in her eyes as she looked down at it rubbing his chest slightly before beginning to unbutton his shirt.

Kylie pulled it back with her good hand after fumbling with the buttons and let out a breath as she saw the wound that she had made in the hotel gaping at her.

John returned with a kit and began fussing over Sherlock like a worried parent as Kylie was shoved to the side.

John began muttering under his breath as he worked. Kylie watched Sherlock roll his eyes. She smirked before she wandered into their room and grabbed a fresh shirt for him and came out to see John shoving a gauze pad onto his torso.

"You need to be more careful. Seriously! Otherwise this is never going to heal!" John lectured before he turned and walked back into the kitchen, still muttering to himself.

Kylie raised her eyebrows at him and handed him the shirt.

"He's right you know," she told him quietly as he pulled the shirt on, "You need to be more careful, we both do."

Sherlock just looked at her blankly before she leaned up and kissed him.

"So the two of you ARE together," a voice said from the doorway.

Kylie and Sherlock pulled apart and looked towards the doorway, confused by recognizing the voice.

"Witham?" Kylie asked, "What in the HELL are you doing here?"

Dr. Witham had a smile playing on his face before he shoved his hands into his pocket and strolled in.

"Dr. Watson called me," he said as he looked at their body language curiously, "He was very concerned about the two of you."

Both Sherlock and Kylie's eyes narrowed in anger as they slowly turned in unison to glare at a now grinning John who stood in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Karma's a bitch aint it?" he said grinning before he walked out the door, leaving Kylie and Sherlock with someone they considered the most annoying person in the universe and no way out.

**Short, but John got his revenge!  
**

**Review? Pretty please?**


	47. Chapter 47

**Sorry I don't have time to thank each of you individually. I'm in my last two weeks of summer school and SWAMPED! But a massive hug and thank you to each of you who reviewed! I love you guys! **

**Here's the next chapter! And it sort of plays off of the last chapter of Couple's counseling, so if you haven't read it, you may want to…just so you aren't a tad bit lost….**

**Enjoy!**

Kylie and Sherlock watched John walk out of the flat happily.

Kylie ran a hand through her hair before sighing, "Well played John, well played."

"So how long have the two of you been back together?" Witham asked as he sat down in Sherlock's usual chair.

Kylie and Sherlock stared at him as he was invading their home.

"Not any of your business," Kylie stated, "Witham, I like you...deep down. You're a good kid, but you having a fascination with our relationship is a little odd. Sherlock and I are not your lab rats for a social experiment that you are working on. Neither of us work for the Yard, and therefore you have no right to force us to be your patience."

Witham just smiled at her, " I don't consider either one of you to be lab rats."

Sherlock scoffed as Kylie raise an eyebrow.

"I am mainly mandated to treat the two of you since you both got hurt on the job," Witham continued, "Plus the fact that Kylie is on loan from University of London, makes the two of you definitely my responsibility and client."

Kylie and Sherlock gave him a strange look.

"How does that make us your problem?" Kylie asked, "Sherlock is a consultant and I work for the University."

"After the ordeal when you were kidnapped by your ex and Mr. Holmes faked his death. Lestrade filed for paper work making Mr. Holmes a part of the Yard."

"What?" Sherlock asked.

"You never told us that before!" Kylie gaped at him.

"Well its true," Witham said shrugging, "and even if you are an adjunct for the University, you are still a part of Scotland Yard."

They both just stared at Witham in annoyance. They were trapped, with no way out.

"So, would you two like to discuss the nature of your relationship now?' Witham asked.

"No," both Kylie and Sherlock responded together.

"John told me that the two of you finally slept together," Witham told them.

Sherlock shut his eyes in anger as Kylie groaned out loud. This was by far the LAST thing that they wanted to discuss with Witham.

"We're going back to the hospital," Sherlock told him as he grabbed both his and Kylie's jackets and put his hand on her back, nudging Kylie out the door.

"Interesting," Witham said as he began jotting down notes on his phone.

Sherlock stopped and turned around, "Interesting?" he asked with fire in his eyes.

"Yes, the two of you left the hospital against medical advice and went as far as to escape. That tells me that both of you don't like hospitals and you would rather endure a session with me than be trapped back there once more." Witham told them, "So have a seat and I believe we need to discuss your deep seeded hatred for hospitals."

They both just stood there. They really would rather just sit here and make fun of Witham than go back to the hospital, but him digging through their past was not something that they particularly wanted to deal with. They were both torn, which torture was worse?

Kylie's phone beeped as she got a text. She looked at it and smiled to herself before walking back over to the couch and sitting down. Sherlock looked at her as if she had lost her mind, but once she held out her mobile to him, he walked over and sat down next to her, taking it from her and reading what she had just read.

Witham looked at them curiously, it could not just be that easy.

"Who just texted you?" Witham asked. It defiantly had something to do with that message they just received.

"Just an old friend," Sherlock said as he handed the phone back to Kylie.

"Right," Witham said, obviously not believing the two of them. They were scheming some way out of this and he could tell.

Kylie and Sherlock just smiled at him…they never did that…. okay he was getting scared now…

"What made the two of you finally break your barriers towards each other and have sexual intercourse?" Witham asked…that ought to throw them off their game.

"Wow, starting heavy handed," Kylie muttered.

"Experiment," Sherlock replied coolly.

Kylie froze. When it came to talking about sex, Sherlock was like a child. Would become slightly embarrassed and shut down. Sure when it came to talking about other people and their sexual relationships, he was a cool as a cucumber, but when it came to their own, he rolled his eyes and hid behind a newspaper.

"You two had sex as an experiment?" Witham asked not understanding.

_Had he really just done it as an experiment? _Kylie thought to herself. It is something that he would do, but she had seen the feelings in his eyes, felt the tenderness…the emotion behind it….

She knew that he loved her, he had admitted that, but a part of her broke as she realized that part of this could have been an experiment.

"Dr. Gibbs?" Witham asked, "You don't feel the same?"

Kylie realized she must have let down her guard and showed how she was feeling on her face. She looked up a Witham who was looking at her with curiosity and Sherlock was looking at her with a puzzled concern.

"Nope," Kylie said sitting back into the couch, "It was an experiment."

Witham raised an eyebrow, "that is most obviously a lie Dr. Gibbs. You should tell how you really feel. Getting feelings out in the open is what the two of you struggle with most."

"We don't struggle with that," Kylie said messing about with her sling.

"Then what do you call all of those months when the two of you broke up and you came into my office crying about how much you cared for Mr. Holmes here and wanted him back, when he obviously felt the same?"

That shut the two of them up.

"I am 99.9% sure that all of your problems in your relationship stem from your absurdly high intellects. The both of you rationalize and break down everything as much as you can before making a conclusion. That works in science, not in relationships," Witham explained.

Kylie and Sherlock just stared at him for a moment before Kylie scoffed once more, "Yeah okay Doctor Phil. You are 99.9% sure, that's not certain."

"I am certain that that is why…" Witham began.

"99.9% is not a hundred. You just said you were 99.9% sure which leaves a 0.01% uncertainty," Sherlock added.

"Not to mention the statistical error margin of 2.08/57.4," Kylie added, "Which comes down to about…"

"24.3765," Sherlock finished.

"99.9% is an extremely good level of certainty I assure you. In the Journal of Psychiatric medicine…"

"First of all, Psychology is not a real science, therefore is has no validity in the realm of scientific inquiry," Sherlock told him.

"Plus 99.9% is not nearly close enough. If your DNA was 99.9% the same as every other human being and that 0.01% decided to be a little different, you'd be a dolphin," Kylie finished.

"Maybe that's what he wants," Sherlock said as he turned to her.

Kylie raised her eyebrows at him, "Maybe." She then turned back to Witham, "Do you really feel that you should be a dolphin? How does that make you feel?"

Witham gaped at the two of them, how in the hell had they managed to turn this conversation into a circus act once more?

"No, the two of you aren't going to turn this back on me," Witham said shaking his head, "Not again."

"I thought this was a trust circle?" Kylie asked innocently.

"Circle of trust," Sherlock corrected.

That was it, Witham had had it with these two, they were going to get some real therapy done…and it was going to happen now.

"I believe that the two of you hate hospitals along with talking about your feelings due to the fact that you Dr. Gibbs were held on a 72 hour psych hold when you were 8 years old and Mr. Holmes was in and out of ER's his whole childhood due to his abusive father and distant mother," Witham told them.

Both Sherlock and Kylie froze. Witham smiled, now he had a hold on them.

"How do you know about that?" Kylie asked quietly as both she and Sherlock paled.

"I have all of your medical records," Witham said as he flipped through the digital copy on his phone, "I am required by law to look at them when making a determination on whether or not someone is competent enough to be in the field."

They both stared at him.

"You suffered from depression after your mother and sister were killed," Witham stated.

"It was a misunderstanding," Kylie told him through gritted teeth, "The doctors overreacted."

"You Uncle, a medical examiner was the one who brought you in out of concern," Witham supplemented.

Kylie was silent; she hadn't known that was in there.

"According to the therapists notes, she believed you were feeling guilty for their deaths, believed it should have been you in that car."

"It should have," Kylie muttered to herself.

"Why should it have been you?" Witham asked, "You were six at the time of their death, you weren't responsible for anything."

"Because they only took that route to the horse farm because they had to drop me off at that birthday party," Kylie spat.

The room was silent. Kylie felt Sherlock reach for her hand, but the word experiment flashed through her mind and she pulled away, leaning forward and putting her hand on her face. She hated this. Witham was invading her mind, making her question her relationship with Sherlock that had never been stronger. She knew that she was being stupid, but something in the back of her mind was making her believe it, that and the irrational amount of pain she was in from her shoulder.

Witham didn't miss this action of course. Sherlock looked slightly hurt and looked at her with a puzzled expression before his stony poker face took over once more.

"Going to a birthday party was not your fault," Witham told her, "You are rational enough to see that if the gunman was hired by Mr. Moriarty as it has been found, he would have been smart enough to track your family's movements well before he actually pulled the trigger. That also isn't a reason for you to pull away from Mr. Holmes here."

Kylie looked up at him. She knew he was right, but the real question was, was she going to let her pride get in the way of admitting it, or chasing Sherlock off once more? She knew that that was the LAST thing she ever wanted to do again, but the word experiment flashed in her mind once more. What if this whole relationship was just a huge experiment for him?

Kylie looked at him. He was puzzled, concerned, and confused, she could tell. And by just that look, all of her doubts about the relationship went away. She couldn't push him away, not over this. Her doubts, her hurt, she knew it all stemmed from Thomas and what that son of a bitch did to her. The lies he told her, the betrayal, the damage, but Sherlock wasn't him, she just had to remember that.

She scooted closer to him and looked down, ashamed of her actions.

"I'm sorry," she muttered to him quietly as she placed a hand on his leg.

Witham watched in amazement as Sherlock leaned over and laid a lingering kiss on her forehead in forgiveness and Kylie close her eyes as emotion surged through her body. Never in a thousand years would he have thought he would see an interaction like this with this couple.

Sherlock pulled back quickly, as if realizing that Witham was still in the room. A blush began to creep up his neck. Kylie smiled slightly as she settled back into the couch and into Sherlock's side. She knew he still wasn't quite comfortable being openly affectionate to her in public. He was with John, but that was BARLEY. He would just lay a hand on her leg and that was about as far as it got. He would only kiss her when he thought John was out of the room, but usually he just kept walking in on them. Hell, the only reason most people knew they were together was due to the fact that John and Lestrade were the two biggest gossips when it came to them and the fact that they would not realized they were holding hands until everyone and their Mother would notice it.

"Now lets talk about your abusive childhood Mr. Holmes," Witham said as he sat back in the chair once more.

Kylie glared at Witham as Sherlock paled slightly with anger.

"It's the reason that you gained sociopathic tendencies to begin with. You learned from a young age that if you were able to hide your emotions, you would upset your father less. Let me guess, your father would only hit you when you cried, or laughed, or…" Witham began before Sherlock's fist met his face, throwing Witham into the table. Kylie gaped; she had not been expecting that.

Sherlock stood there for a second before turning around and retreating up the stairs to the room that Kylie was still trying to unpack. Kylie looked at Witham, she was slightly too shocked to move. Sherlock had NEVER just randomly punched people out of anger, that's what Kylie did. He would just verbally assault you with deductions until you backed off or maybe cried, but he was not a physical man.

Just at that moment, Charlie came bursting into the room. "I swear to God Kylie! You know I texted you saying I was coming to look for you the least you could have done was text me…." Charlie trailed off as he saw Witham with a bloody nose and looking disoriented and a shocked Kylie on the couch.

"What the hell happened?" Charlie asked.

"You couldn't have gotten here sooner?" Kylie asked as she got up, "We were counting on you bursting in here sooner to distract him from us," she said pointing at Witham.

She turned to walk up the stairs after Sherlock, "I'll be back down in a little bit, don't come up here," she told them, "Oh, and Witham did you know that Charlie here has enormous commitment issues that stem form his childhood also? Just thought that may be an interesting tid bit for you."

Kylie flashed a smile as Witham looked at Charlie and Charlie's face fell. She walked up the stairs leaving them both alone.

Witham observed Charlie, it actually was quiet evident by his cocky demeanor that he considered himself a "player"….. son of a….

That's why Kylie and Sherlock had been so pleased with themselves and sat down willingly. They had played him. They knew Charlie had been coming over and planned on throwing out hints to get Witham onto Charlie and off of them for good. They planned this all from the start. The plan had just gone downhill once Kylie began to push Sherlock away, most likely due to the experiment comment. Witham knew that Kylie was much more emotional than Mr. Holmes was, but he also knew she had a much harder time trusting people. Sherlock just blocked people out, where as Kylie had always allowed people in, but since her trauma with Thomas, had most likely had a much harder time trusting people. She claimed that Thomas's change had been sudden. He didn't blame her one bit for having trust issues, if someone she loved had changed so dramatically and so suddenly. It would be hard to trust anyone after that. But he needed them to stay together.

Unknown to the couple upstairs, Witham had begun writing a book on the two of them. Psychologically, they shouldn't be able to be together. A college of his had written a book similar to the one he was writing based on a couple who one of the members was intelligent and absurdly rational, whereas the other had been a little more free-spirited and keyed into human emotion rather than scientific intellect. It was an extremely interesting case of human interaction in that he had concluded they were in love, but Dr. Gibbs and Mr. Holmes were a much more interesting case.

According to that book and most of the research out there, they should not be able to work. Both were meticulous and calculating, not to mention they both had immense issues stemming from traumatic events that opposed each other so greatly it was amazing they even could sit in the same room. Mr. Holmes had an opposition to human touch due to his abuse, yet Dr. Gibbs needed the reassurance of soft touch due to her rape and abuse. Mr. Holmes would lash out verbally when something occurred that made him uncomfortable, and with her history, Kylie would have run away screaming, and yet she endured the verbal abuse for months on end before finally snapping and running off to San Diego. Mr. Holmes was so used to pushing people out of his life and his sociopathic tendencies allowed him to convince himself he was better off without them, and yet he still went after Dr. Gibbs. The one person in his life that he actively sought. It was fascinating.

"You okay man?" Charlie asked him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Witham nodded as he wiped up some of the blood that was dripping from his nose.

"Did Kylie do that?" Charlie asked in amazement, "She has a damn good hook shot."

"Mr. Holmes did," Witham replied as he took the handkerchief from Charlie thankfully.

"Seriously?" Charlie asked his eyebrows shooting up into his hairline, "What'd you do to piss him off? Usually he just tells your whole life history to everyone around you."

Witham nodded in agreement and looked up the stairs. God, what he would give to see the interaction going on right now. Those two were psychologically fascinating.

**Review?**


	48. Chapter 48

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! You guys are amazing! For real!**

**Here's the next chapter…because I hate physics…. Its real fluffy…so sorry to those of you who hate that.**

**And yes, it was a Bones reference there….. If you all haven't figured it out already, Witham is kind of a play off of Sweets…he's too awesome of a character not to write.**

**Enjoy!**

Kylie timidly walked into the room and found Sherlock plopped face down into the bed like a toddler throwing a fit. Kylie couldn't help but smile at the sight of him.

She walked in the room and shut the door behind her. Sherlock's head snapped up at the sound before he saw her raise an eyebrow at him before he plopped his head back down, clearly wanting to be left alone.

"I'm not going to leave," Kylie said as she sat on the bed next him.

Sherlock rolled his eyes into the pillow. He hadn't wanted her to see him like that, know about his past. Witham had already ruined some of that over video chat in San Diego, but Kylie had been kind enough to say she would bury it for him. Now that Witham had brought it up again, she would want to talk about it, want to fix him…. just like Mycroft…just like everyone else who had ever found out about his childhood. He would have to shove her away; he didn't want to do that… he would be left alone once more.

He felt her hand rub up and down his back comfortingly, almost forcing him to relax. Part of him wanted to shove her away and huff to himself like he always had, but he found he couldn't. A much larger part of him felt almost better that she had just sat here next to him, doing something so simple as rubbing his back. It made him feel…. Feel, whole? He didn't understand….

"I'm so sorry he brought that up," Kylie told him quietly, "He had no right."

Sherlock felt his body relax more and more as she spoke to him and rubbed his back.

She just sat there, rubbing his back in silence for a few minuets, just allowing him to decompress before she spoke to him again.

"I meant what I said in San Diego. I know you don't want this to come up. It a skeleton you want to keep buried and I respect that."

"Yes, but now you are going to want to _change_ me. Just go run off with my idiot brother now, maybe the two of you can try," Sherlock said in a voice that did not seem like him at all to Kylie.

Kylie looked at him strangely. He never made such childish remarks like that. EVER.

"Why would I ever want to change you?" she asked.

Sherlock lifted his head and looked at her. Confusion had taken over her face.

"Seriously? Is that what you are worried about?" she asked with a slight smile on her face, "You don't need to be changed. I love you for who you are. Why would I ever want to change that?"

Sherlock looked at her oddly.

"You are the amazing human being that I fell in love with, why on earth would I ever want to change that because of something you couldn't stop when you were a child?"

Sherlock looked at her, she was looking at him with sincere bewilderment. She really did not want to change him. Everyone else did, everyone else thought he needed help, needed to be "normal" but not her. No, she accepted him for who he was, who he is… no one who had ever found out about his past had done that.

Sherlock sat up carefully trying not to pull his stiches. Kylie watched him as he sat beside her. He looked at the ground for a moment in thought before he turned to her, put a hand on her cheek and pressed his lips to hers. Kylie felt his thankfulness in the kiss along with tenderness and caring. Her mind flashed back to him repeating the word "experiment" and she pulled away.

She stared at the ground. It was Sherlock's turn to look at her with confusion. What had he done wrong? He couldn't help but feel slightly rejected as he watched her stare at the ground with a sad look on her face.

"Sherlock, what you said earlier," Kylie began in a tiny scared voiced that frightened Sherlock, she had never sounded so vulnerable, "When Witham asked why we slept together. You said it was an experiment."

"Yes," Sherlock said in utter confusion. That was what he had said, why was she bringing this up.

She looked at him, hurt and shock written all over her face as she leapt to conclusions. Now he was really confused.

"What that all that night was to you?" Kylie asked a tear streaming down her face in hurt, "I mean I know you love me. I know you care for me, and I am sorry if I pushed you into a physical relationship. But sex is more than that to me Sherlock. It was a way of showing how much I care for you, how much I love you by letting you become a part of me in the physical sense. And if that was just a way that you were experimenting you should have told me, not just say it when Witham asked. I mean, geeze, am I just stupid or did I misinterpret emotion, because I felt the emotion from you when ever we do…." Kylie was cut off by Sherlock's lips in hers once more, kissing her like she had never been kissed before. It was powerful, Kylie's heart even stopped for a moment as she felt every emotion imaginable flow through her. She felt love, fascination, tenderness, warmth, passion, fervency, admiration, and cherishment through the kiss. It was everything he couldn't say in words, and Kylie knew that. They only pulled apart when the need for oxygen became too great.

He looked her in the eye as he wiped away her tears, "In no way are you an experiment."

Kylie smiled at him as she placed her good hand behind his head and tangled her fingers in his dark curls that she adored so much and pulled him to her lips once more.

She pulled away and laughed as more tears rolled down her face. She wiped them off and looked at him as she laughed, "I'm an idiot."

A smile tugged on Sherlock's lips as he shrugged at her in agreement. Kylie laughed harder and playfully slapped him on the arm, earning a chuckle from him as he put his arms around her.

Kylie leaned forward and moved herself so she was pretty much sitting in Sherlock's lap. She nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck and took comfort in the position that she was in. She felt so safe, so loved, so secure.

"I love you," Sherlock whispered quietly into her hair.

Kylie smiled into his neck. He didn't tell her that often, in fact this was only the third time he had said it to her including the time in San Diego. She knew it was hard for him to sum up how he felt in words, but each time he said it, he told her with a little more comfort and confidence in the word. She knew he was sure of how he felt, but those three words never came easily to him.

"I love you too," She told him as she pulled her head out of the crook of his neck and looked him in the eyes, "More than you'll ever know."

Sherlock leaned up towards her only to pull away quickly when John barged into the room.

"You punched Witham?" he asked in amazement, "Why in the HELL did you do that? He's only trying to help the two of you you know?"

"Oh hey John," Kylie said sarcastically as she brushed Sherlock's hair to the side trying to tame it, thankful for Sherlock's arms around her still as she could not balance in his lap with her arm in a sling, "Come on in. It wasn't like we were having a moment or anything."

"You two ruin Mary and my moments all the time," John fired back at her.

"Yeah, well he wont be having any moments for eight months," Sherlock said as Kylie giggled into his neck, making him smile and John glare.

"You two are sickeningly adorable, you know that," John said in frustration before walking out of the room.

Sherlock watched him go in slight offense, "I am not adorable."

Kylie laughed and gave him one more brief kiss before clambering out of his lap, "Yes, you are."

Sherlock sat there in utter confusion as he watched Kylie retreat down the steps, "I'm not!" he yelled after her.

**#$ %$ *& **

"So you nervous for your first class tomorrow?" Mary asked as she and Kylie sat in her living room flipping through bridal magazines.

Kylie sighed, thankful she could finally run her left hand through her hair.

It had been about a month and a half since the Castle Hotel and Kylie had JUST been cleared to take off her sling, not that she hadn't already. Sherlock had been cleared a couple of days before her much to her dismay and had begun working small cases, forcing her to stay behind with Mary out of concern for her safety with her shoulder.

She enjoyed helping Mary with her wedding; it wasn't that, she just missed cases. She would have to sit out of the next few due to her shoulder and also because of the class she was beginning to teach the next day.

"A little," Kylie said as she flipped through _99 things a Bride should know_, "I mean, I have my syllabus and everything, but its just going to be me sitting up there talking to a bunch of kids in their early twenties."

"Well, what's the class mainly going to be about?" Mary asked as she ripped out a floral design.

Kylie laughed, "Do you mean what does the University want the class to be about, or what is it actually going to be about?"

Mary smirked, "I thought the University gave you free-range, you being one of the leading experts in forensic anthropology and all."

"Oh shut up," Kylie said lightly tossing a fabric sample at her, "I'm going to go through a series of cases and show how forensic anthropology can solve them."

Mary looked at her smiling, "You are so doing the Ripper case aren't you."

Kylie smirked.

"You're going to be that professor aren't you? You are going to take them to White Chapel on a Ripper tour?" Mary said in astonishment.

"No I am not!" Kylie said, "And we are going to look at the original case, not the copy cat."

"Uh-huh," Mary said not believing her one bit as she turned back to her magazine.

"Have you been planning your wedding while we do this?" Mary asked Kylie with a smirk.

Kylie laughed, "Uh, no," she said, "I doubt I'll ever be having a wedding."

Mary gave her a strange look as she sipped her wine, "I thought you and Sherlock were better than ever?"

"We are," Kylie said with a smile as she flipped through the magazine.

"Then why not think that the two of you will get married?" Mary asked, "I mean he's obviously head over heels for you and the two of you have been serious since you have been dating."

"Mary, I love that man with every ounce of my being," Kylie said looking at her, "but do you really think that he is the type of guy to get down on bended knee and go through a ceremony that has religious roots and publically declare his love in front of a bunch of people as well as invite his family that he hates only to just get a piece of paper saying we are legally bound together and keep on living the rest of our lives in the same exact way? Yeah, that sounds exactly like Sherlock," She said sarcastically.

Mary frowned, "Geeze, now your making me question if all of this stress is worth it."

"No, Mary," Kylie told her, "You and John need to get married. I don't mean to demean that at all. I adore weddings, but that's just how Sherlock thinks of it."

Mary looked at her friend, "Aren't you a little sad about that though? I mean every girl dreams of her wedding day. I've been planning mine since I was in high school."

Kylie smiled as she looked back down at the magazine, "If it means that I get to stay with him I am more than willing to give up a white dress."

Mary smiled at her, "You really do love that man don't you?"

Kylie smiled, "That I do."

**^#%$ * **

Kylie walked back into Baker Street later that night, take out in hand.

"Sherlock," she called as she dropped her keys in the cup by the door, "You home?"

Kylie walked into the kitchen and jumped at the sight of a severed head on a stand that was sitting on the table. Sherlock popped up from underneath the table wearing her glasses.

Kylie raised an eyebrow at him, "Chinese?" he asked referring to the bag in her hand.

"Are those my glasses?" Kylie asked.

Sherlock looked at her as he stood up, "I needed a magnification and both of my hands."

Kylie looked at head in the stand and the tubes coming out of it and sighed, "I am so, never eating on this table ever again."

Sherlock got up and wandered over to where she stood as he removed his blood stained gloves, "I'm testing the amount of saliva produced after death to correspond with a time line."

"Didn't you already do that?" Kylie asked remembering John telling her a story about when he found a severed head in the fridge.

"Yes, but I figured out a better way to do it" Sherlock said taking the takeout bag from her and looking inside of it.

"You know most girlfriends would walk into this flat and run away screaming," Kylie said with a smile as she removed her glasses gently from Sherlock's face.

"Good thing you aren't most girlfriends," Sherlock said as a smile pulled on one side of his mouth.

Kylie laughed slightly before he kissed her temple and walked out into the living room.

Kylie smiled to herself as she looked around the hell that was her kitchen. This was what life was like with Sherlock Holmes, and she wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

**Review?**


	49. Chapter 49

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! **

**Optimistic Livvy- thanks I didn't realize that…oops. Thanks for pointing it out though**

**Rainbow Assasin- Good luck….It blows…**

**A huge thanks to everyone else! I love you guys!  
**

**I have to apologize for Sherlock's OOcness last chapter. I was trying to show an evolution and I got a little carried away, so sorry. I want him to be as in character as possible, while still evolving through the story!**

**Here's the next one! I hope you enjoy!  
**

"Sherlock," Kylie called as she scrounged through the bottom of the closet, "Have you seen my black pumps?"

Sherlock didn't respond.

Kylie huffed slightly, she swore to God if he had used another pair of her heels in an experiment….

She walked out of the bedroom barefoot and dressed in a pencil skirt and blouse to find Sherlock at the table in the living room with photos spread out all around him. He obviously had a new case.

"Sherlock," Kylie asked once more as she looked around the living room, "Have you seen my shoes?"

No response once more, he was engrained in the photos.

Kylie rolled her eyes and finally spotted her shoes in the corner of the room and pulled them on as she began throwing her laptop and syllabi in her briefcase. Her stomach was in knots, it was her first day teaching and she never knew that a bunch of university students could scare the crap out of her like this.

"Curious," she heard Sherlock mutter.

She walked over to where he was sitting and looked at the photo over his shoulder.

The photo was of a skeleton, most likely dumped in a park or somewhere with highly manicured grass. That wasn't the interesting part though, no that was the fact that the body was fresh and had symbolic markings engraved in it, as to make it look like an idol.

Kylie leaned forward a little more startling Sherlock as he whirled around to look at her, "How long have you been here?"

"About five minutes," Kylie said quirking an eyebrow at him.

"Oh," he said looking her up and down with curiosity. That wasn't what she normally wore.

"Did you sleep at all last night?" Kylie asked him as she gathered more of her things and placed them in the case.

Sherlock didn't answer, he just watched her with confusion.

"I mean I know you came to bed with me, but did you just wait until I fell asleep and begin working on another case?" She asked before picking up the picture off the table. "When did this murder even happen? This morning? You just got this case!" She put down the photo and looked at him, "You need to sleep you know. It can do you good."

"Where are you going?" he asked her, not really listening to her lecture.

"The Bart's," Kylie told him, "Its my first day teaching."

"But we have a case," Sherlock argued.

"No, I have a job, you have a case," Kylie told him as she buckled her case.

Sherlock just looked at her as if she had lost her mind, "But its skeletal remains!"

"Still have to go and teach some kids," Kylie told him with a smile as she took her glasses off the table and put them on.

Sherlock gave her a weird look, one that she had never seen before. He cocked his head to the side and looked at her with a slight frown. "You did something different to your hair," he commented.

Kylie raised an eyebrow at him. He was never one for compliments. It's true, she had pinned her hair back in a different way, but with this expression on his face…. she knew something was up.

"It looks good," he told her, "I like it better this way."

Kylie looked at him, knowing exactly what he was doing.

"Still not going to stay," she said simply as she picked up her jacket and began to put it on.

Sherlock sighed like a child and stood up.

"Call John to help you," Kylie told him as she buttoned up her coat, "God knows he needs an escape from Mary's wedding planning."

"John's been annoying," Sherlock said with a wave of his hand.

"John's stressed, and worried about you," Kylie told him, "And he's your best friend."

"I don't have friends," Sherlock told her as he huffed to himself.

"Yeah you do," Kylie said not falling for his own pity party that he was throwing himself.

"Kylie," Sherlock said as she was about to walk out the door, "I'll give you next weeks lottery numbers!"

Kylie laughed and put her hand on the knob.

"Kylie," he tried once more as she turned to look at him, "Please."

Kylie looked at him as he gave her another strange expression that she had never seen before. She had to suppress at laugh at him though.

"Are you trying to pout?" Kylie asked, as she couldn't believe her eyes.

The expression faded as a sour look came over his face, "It was worth a try."

"Wow, pouting," Kylie said looking at him in amazement. This man was the most brilliant person she knew and yet he acted like a two year old, "And I sleep you…."

"I need your opinion," Sherlock essentially begged.

"Call John," She told him with a smile on her face, "I'm already going to be late."

"I'll just come in your class," Sherlock said simply as if the problem was solved.

"Uh, no," Kylie said, "I love you, but these kids will be distracted by you being in the news and all."

Since the Castle case, Sherlock had been in all of the papers, essentially famous from the blog that John still wrote. Kylie had thankfully been kept out of it for some reason that suspiciously smelled like Mycroft. She had no idea why, but she wasn't complaining.

Kylie walked over and picked up his phone, sending a text to John and kissing Sherlock's cheek before turning and walking to the door once more.

"I texted John, he should be here soon if I know how badly Mary is torturing him with lace doylies and floral arrangements," Kylie told him as she opened the door, "And what ever you do, DON'T come to my class. I'll be back soon."

Kylie shut the door behind her as she left, leaving Sherlock all alone by himself. He frowned and turned to the pictures once more. He really needs analysis on the bone…

**^#%# *#&**

"Good morning class," Kylie said as she strolled in about five minuets late. The room was filled and every face in the room began to look at her. The boys smiled as she felt a few of them undressing her with their eyes and whispering to each other.

"I am Dr. Kyleigha Gibbs and I will be your instructor this semester. And if you have something to say young man in the second row," Kylie said as her back was turned as she plugged in her laptop to the monitor, "You can say it to the entire class, or were you just attempting to guess my cup size, because I guarantee you are wrong."

Kylie turned to look at him. The boys in the class had frozen. They obviously had never had a professor call them out. The girls in the class smiled at her, knowing fully well the boys had gotten what they deserved.

She raised an eyebrow at the boy, "Anything to say?"

The young man looked petrified and shook his head.

"Good," Kylie said smiling at him before she pulled up her lecture and set the syllabus on the desk, "This semester…" she began before a hand shot up in the air.

An eager girl in the first row had her arm extended as high as she possible could.

Kylie sighed…. there was always one of these kids in the class….

"Yes?"

"Doctor Gibbs," the girl asked, "I know you are American, but here in Britain the professors wear a robe."

"What's your name sweetheart?"

"Halley Brooks."

"Well, Halley," Kylie said as she leaned against the desk, "I am well aware of that fact and thank you for pointing that out, but will it really effect your learning if I do not wear the robes? Or can we just pretend that I have them on?"

"You can take off your clothes too and we can pretend you have those on too," a young man in the back said to his friend quietly.

"I can also pretend to keep you in the class, but really have you expelled form the department for sexual harassment Mr. I-like-whispering-to-my-friend-in-the-fourth-row."

The friend sniggered as the boy just rolled his eyes, not obviously taking the threat seriously.

"Let me guess," Kylie said smiling at him, "You are here on an athletic scholarship? Crew I'm guessing based on your musculature."

The boy smirked at her. She was dead on.

"What's your name?"

"Trent, Trent Baker," he said with a flirtatious grin that reminded her of Charlie. All of the girls in the class rolled their eyes at him. Obviously, they knew he was a flirt.

"Well, Trent Baker," Kylie continued, "I also know that you had a practice this morning. Though it was a Captain's practice. If your coach was there you would have gotten busted big time because you weren't there."

Trent's face fell, "You can't possibly know that."

Kylie smirked at him, "Oh, but I can. You see the Crew team practices on water, the only water in these parts being the Thames. But there was heavy fog on the Thames this morning, causing a lot of moisture in the air. If you would have been there you would have gotten soaked to the bone. Practice got out only forty-five minutes ago and even if you showered, your hair would still be wet. Your hair is dry. That combined with the bags around your eyes and cocky attitude tells me you had a one-night stand last night. A drunken one nightstand, most likely someone you picked up from a bar. But then again, not so much. You see you have a streak of red polish on the side of the pocket of your trousers which tells me that your one night stand painted her nails then took your wallet, and the only women who paint their nails while waiting for their John to fall asleep so they can steal their wallet is a professional woman."

Trent was gaping, along with the rest of the class. Kylie smiled at him.

"So, unless you would like your coach to find out about this, I suggest you stop trying to be funny at other people's expense."

Trent was still gaping as Kylie turned back to the board, "Good, so this semester we will mainly focus on famous cases and how forensic Anthropology could have helped, or have helped solve those cases."

She saw another timid hand up in the air. Kylie turned to see a young man who was almost debating whether or not to raise his hand.

"Yes, Your name?" Kylie said with a smile.

"Brian Dowers," the young man said, "I looked you up before class. You used to work with the FBI and also Scotland Yard on some pretty big cases. Including the Ripper Copy Cat case and I heard rumor that you were on the Castle Hotel murders also."

Excited whispers filled the room.

"Okay, Okay," Kylie said trying to get a hold of her class once more, "Yes, I did work for the FBI and I now work in conjunction with the Yard. And yes, I did work those cases along with a lot of other serial cases…"

"How about the fairy tale killings a year ago?" a girl in the fourth row asked.

_Oh, yeah my crazed Ex was the killer…that's a great one let me tell you all about it…._

"Yes, I did, but we will not be discussing those cases." Kylie said admittedly.

"What cases then?" Brian asked.

"We will be talking about the original Ripper as well as a few other well know serial killers," Kylie replied as the door burst opened.

Sherlock and John strolled in along with Lestrade as Kylie rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Okay, seriously!" She told them, "I will be home by ten. I asked you guys not interrupt my class."

"YOU KNOW SHERLOCK HOLMES?" the girl in the forth row asked full of excitement.

Sherlock stopped and stared at the class upon hearing his name.

"Seriously," Kylie said looking pointedly at John and Lestreade, "He told you two I said come on in didn't he?" she asked before looking at Sherlock, "I love you an all, but you have got to leave me alone for a couple of hours to teach!"

"YOU'RE DATING SHERLOCK HOLMES!" Another girl shrieked excitedly.

"Is he going to do a guest lecture?" someone else asked.

Sherlock was looking at Kylie with concern. She looked at both John and Lestrade, really looked at them for the first time, the wore a similar expression.

"You need to end class early," Sherlock told her.

"It can wait an hour," Kylie said trying to get that expression that was slightly worrying her off his face.

"It cant," he told her, "Penteville prison just called Lestrade. There was a fire. Thomas is dead."

**Review?**


	50. Chapter 50

**Hey guys! **

**Thanks so much to those of you who reviewed! Seriously I love you guys and I wish I had the time to thank every single one of you!  
**

**I love how I cant freaking surprise any of you anymore…. I love the "SAY WHAT?" reviews and, now you have me all figured out…..**

**Here's the next one! Its short, but its all I had time to get out today!**

"Kylie we didn't mean for you to come down here," John told her as she leapt out of Lestrade's cruiser and power walked as fast as she could towards the prison. Fire trucks covered the entrance as she made her way towards the door. Sherlock jogging to catch up to her, followed by John and Lestrade.

"We just wanted to let you know that it was over," Lestrade inputted, "DNA can ID the body, you don't have to."

"I need to see it with my own eyes," Kylie said as adrenaline filled her body. Her hands were shaking, she didn't know why. Thomas was dead; she just needed to verify that.

She felt a hand grab her arm and whirl her around when she had almost reached the door. Kylie flinched slightly as her shoulder pulled. She wheeled around to see Sherlock grab both of her arms, forcing her to look at him.

"You don't have to do this," he told her quietly looking at her with concern in his eyes as he felt her shaking.

"I need to do this," Kylie told him before turning around and walking into the prison with determination.

Sherlock looked at John and Lestrade before following her in quickly.

"Dr. Gibbs," the Warden said in shock as she walked in, recognizing her from her former visits during the Ripper case.

"Where is he?" Kylie asked directly, "I need to see him, now."

The warden gave her a startled look before seeing Sherlock, John, and Lestrade file in after her. Lestrade nodded at the warden before he began to lead them down the hall.

Sherlock and John walked up on either side of Kylie while Lestrade walked directly behind her as if to shield her. They walked through the prison and to their surprise the prisoners were still there. Upon seeing Kylie, they began to get rowdy, howling and making catcalls at her. Kylie ignored it as she felt Sherlock put a hand on her back protectively and scoot closer to her, as John and Lestrade closed in their ranks as well.

"Why weren't the other prisoners evacuated?" Lestrade asked, "I mean there was a fire."

"It was relatively small," the warden said as he led them down the corridor and towards a high security cell on the end.

The warden looked at them before he pushed open the door. The smell of burnt flesh filled Kylie's senses. The cell was completely scorched as a body lay on the bed. There was no pink flesh remaining, just burnt bone.

Kylie walked into the room and bent over the body, feeling as if it were almost surreal. Whenever she identified victims, they were strangers. She had never met them, that made it easy for her to compartmentalize, but this was different. This was Thomas. Sure he was a crazy psychopath who haunted her dreams and did terrible unspeakable things to her and to others, but she knew him. She needed to know he was dead, that's where her anxiety was coming from, it wasn't as if she was hoping it wouldn't be him.

Kylie bent down to the body and began to survey, hoping, praying that this body in front her would be Thomas. She needed it to be, she needed Thomas to be out of her life for good. He needed to not be able to hurt anyone anymore.

John watched Kylie examine the body from the doorway. She was shaking terribly. He felt horrible for her as they waited for her to conclude that it truly was Thomas. He knew that that man haunted her. He had taken away her safety, a part of herself. It made him sick even to think about what he had done to his friend.

John looked to Sherlock; his jaw was clenched as he watched Kylie blankly. Well, his face appeared blank to everyone else, but John noticed the worry in his eyes. He was worried about her. Hell, John was worried about her, let alone if this had been Mary on this situation. If it had, John most likely would have lost it completely right now. Sherlock and Kylie were strong though, they had to be with everything that they had seen together, been through, and what had molded them into who they were today.

John was brought out of his train of thought when he saw Kylie look at the body.

"Its not him," Kylie said her voice cracking with fear and emotion, "He's out there, he got away." She fisted her hands in her hair, "How in the HELL did he get away."

"That's his jumpsuit," the warden said, "his prison number. The firefighter found him dead in here."

"Clothes can be switched, bone markers cannot. Sure this body is male, early thirties, Caucasian, athletic, but last time I checked, Thomas didn't have a tattoo, and this body didn't have a broken arm from a car crash that we were in together four years ago in DC." Kylie snapped at him as a couple of firefighters entered the cell. "How in the hell did the fire start?"

"A mobile ma'am" a firefighter told her as he handed her a phone in a bag before walking out of the room.

Kylie looked at it for half a second before gaping at Sherlock. Sherlock's brow furrowed before taking the bagged mobile from her and looking at it. His heart sunk as he recognized it.

"Its yours," Kylie told him.

"Your phone?" John asked as his eyebrows shot into his hairline.

"The last time Kylie and I came to interview Thomas. Kylie chucked it and once Thomas came in we both forgot about it. I left it here, he must have picked it up," Sherlock said slightly breathlessly.

Kylie shut her eyes, Goddamn him.

"He used the phone to create a diversion. He short circuited it and created a spark, which he nursed into a fire. The fire department came in, he killed the first responder, took his clothes and walked out the freaking front door," Kylie told them as she rubbed her temples.

"He couldn't have," the warden said in disbelief.

"Well he did," Kylie snapped, "That stippling on his upper humerous, is from a tattoo, a tattoo commonly seen in firefighters."

She took a deep breath, "He's out there."

Kylie took one more look at the body and stormed out of the cell and down the hallway.

John and Lestrade stood there for a moment as Sherlock gazed at that body.

"Kylie, where…?" they heard Charlie say from down the hall.

"Move Charlie," they heard Kylie's voice say with a mixture of anxiety, fear, and anger.

Charlie came into the cell and looked at them with confusion, "What the hell happened?" he asked, "I thought shed be relieved that Thomas was dead, not upset about it. I mean he was a right bastard, but she fell in love with him. Hell, they were even engaged at one point."

Sherlock's head snapped away from the body and towards Charlie. John's heart dropped into his stomach, Sherlock hadn't known that. John would have never thought that it would have mattered to his friend, but apparently it had.

Sherlock pocketed the mobile and shoved his way out the door past Charlie without a single word.

John rubbed a hand over his face. A psychopath was on the loose, and Kylie and Sherlock were about to have another fight when they needed each other the most…. He should have stayed home and counted doylies…

**&$%#^ % **

"You sure you are all right Ma'am?" the cabbie asked Kylie for about the 23rd time on her way back to Baker Street.

"Yes," Kylie replied as she tried to calm her still shaking hands, "I'll be fine."

She really wanted Sherlock here next to her, but she knew he would want to look around the cell and find more evidence to find that son of a bitch. The thing was, was Kylie knew exactly where he would be. She needed to confront him, by herself. That was the only way this whole thing was going to end.

The cab pulled to a stop and she thrusted some of the bills at the driver.

"No ma'am," the driver said refusing to take the money, "You need an act of kindness today but the looks of ya."

Kylie gave the driver a small smile, "Thank you very much."

"I hope your problems all work out," He told her kindly, "My mother always told me that 'Everything always appears to be far worse than it actually is.'"

"Smart woman," Kylie said as she stepped out onto Baker Street.

"Aye, that she was my dear," the cabbie said smiling at her.

Kylie waved him off and walked to her front door. The door was cracked, as if someone had broken in.

_Now I really hope that that cabbies mother was right. I hope this is better than it appears to be._

Kylie pushed open the door. 221B was open; she could hear music playing…. a song she knew.

…. He's here….

**Review?  
**


	51. Chapter 51

**Here's another super short one, because I despise Physics and just found out I bombed the last test because I am an idiot…. So I just give up on today and writing this story makes me feel better.**

**Thanks to those of you who reviewed! You made a crappy day a TON better. **

**Its short, I know. Enjoy!**

Kylie pushed open the door of the flat and saw Thomas sitting in Sherlock's usual armchair, "Open Arms" by Journey blasting through the flat.

Thomas was dressed in a suit, where he had gotten it; Kylie had no idea what so ever. He flashed a grin at her, as he looked her up and down with hungry eyes.

"Hello Kales," he said as he looked at her, "Here I am with open arms."

Kylie felt herself began to shake even more as he smirked at her. He stood up and began to walk towards her. Kylie couldn't move, she wanted to hit him, run away, do anything, but stand here and watch him corner her.

The night he attacked her in DC flashed back in her mind. She could feel the rope cutting into her, feel the handcuffs cut her wrists as she struggled against him…

"It's our song Kales," Thomas said, as he was only a few feet away from her, "Don't you remember?"

"There is no us you sick son of a bitch," Kylie told him as she tried her damnedst to be strong.

"There should be," Thomas told her as he stood about a foot away from her. He reached out an played with a lock of her hair as Kylie shut her eyes in disgust, willing herself to remain calm and not throw up, "Because you are smoking hot."

He grinned at her, "You know I love it when you are tanned."

Kylie smacked his hand away from her as she glared at him.

"Get the hell out of my flat," she told him, "I already called the police."

Thomas laughed, "We both know that's a lie gorgeous. You want to see me. You loved me, you still do."

"I did," Kylie told him, "but that all went away the moment I found out what the hell you did to all of those innocent people you hurt, all of those lives you took, and the moment you laid a hand on me."

"That's the job hun," Thomas said shrugging.

"NO ITS NOT!" Kylie yelled at him, "You think it is your job to kill for fun?"

"Where's the fun if you don't?" Thomas asked her smiling.

Kylie felt as if she was going to throw up.

"So you moved in with your brand new boyfriend," Thomas said as he looked around the room, "pity…"

"Why because I chose a great man over a poor excuse for a human being?" Kylie snipped back, surprising herself slightly.

"No, because now I have to kill him too," Thomas said before his eyes landed back onto her.

Kylie felt her stomach turn into a pit. She was endangering Sherlock once more. He was going to go after him.

"Don't you touch him," Kylie said in a dangerous whisper.

"Why?" Thomas said as he took a step closer to her. Kylie stepped back, her back hitting the wall, she a cornered.

"What are you going to do about it Kales?" Thomas said as his face leaned towards her. Kylie was frozen, that night began flashing through her mind right now. His crazy look as he hit her and threw her on the bed before bounding her. His hot breath as he…. He…did unspeakable things to her.

Next thing she knew, he turned around and left the flat without another word. Kylie stood there breathless, scared out of her mind. The memories wouldn't stop replaying. She was there all alone in an empty flat, broken once more. She felt herself shaking so badly that her knees were threating to give way. She slid down the wall and curled her legs in close to her body as tears ran down her face. She hated being weak; she hadn't felt this defenseless since the night she had run home to DC when Sherlock had faked his death.

Sherlock…Thomas was going after him. Kylie knew that he was going to try to tear her world apart, his revenge for her leaving him after the rape. Everyone around her was in danger. She didn't know what to do.

Kylie heard footsteps up the stairs as she began to shake more and more. She couldn't control her body. She just felt the anxiety building more and more with each second.

She saw Sherlock walk in through the door and look around for her. His face displayed a slight anger and hurt hidden underneath his stony blank expression until he spotted Kylie in the corner of the room.

Worry and panic overtook his face, the anger forgotten as he rushed over to her.

"Alright?" he asked quietly as he looked over her, searching for any physical harm that may have been done to her before he placed a hand on her cheek, "Are you alright?"

Kylie looked at him as tears flowed down her face. Sherlock felt his heart break as he saw how scared and broken she was.

"He was here," Kylie told him, "he was here, and I couldn't react. I couldn't do anything."

Sherlock didn't know what do say, what to do. She was so scared. He heard John's voice in the back of his head telling him to comfort her, but he had no idea how.

She answered that question for him as she reached a shaky hand out for him and slowly moved herself until she climbed into his lap like a child and buried her head in his neck.

Sherlock put his arms around her and held her as they sat on the floor together in their flat. Kylie was shaking terribly; Sherlock could feel it more so when she was in his arms. He held her tighter as she began sobbing into his shoulder.

John, Lestrade, and Charlie entered the flat, knowing something had happened the moment they laid eyes on the couple. Sherlock looked over at them as he held onto Kylie. John saw the anger and heartbreak on Sherlock's face. He knew his friend was torn on staying here and making sure that Kylie was okay, or walking out the front door, finding Thomas and ripping him limb from limb.

"I'll have dispatch begin searching," Lestrade said as he pulled out his phone, quickly putting together that Thomas had indeed paid a visit to Baker Street.

John nodded in thanks to him as he left before turning and looking back at the couple seated in the middle of the floor. Sherlock just gave John a look before holding the woman in his lap even tighter than he already was. John ran a hand over his face and walked into the kitchen to give them some privacy. John knew that Sherlock was already confused about how to truly comfort her; he didn't need to make Sherlock more uncomfortable and cause him to retreat back into himself once more.

John figured a good cup of tea was needed anyways.

John put water in the kettle as he saw Mrs. Hudson come up the stairs. She peered in the doorway at the sound of Kylie's sniffles and looked at John with a shocked expression.

"What happened?" Mrs. Hudson asked him, "I've never seen her quite like that."

John smiled at her sadly, "Thomas escaped."

"That same bastard who did those things to her and Sherlock?" Mrs. Hudson gasped, "Oh dear, he's not coming here is he?"

"I hope not again," John told her as he put a hand on her arm in comfort.

Mrs. Hudson sighed as she looked at them.

"Poor Kylie. She's such a beautiful girl, she doesn't need this. And her and Sherlock…." Mrs. Hudson told John.

"Do you need something Mrs. Hudson?" John inquired noticing she was holding something.

"Oh, a nice young man dropped this off for Kylie," She said handing John the envelope, "Said it was urgent, from the university."

John looked at the envelope and his heart stopped. It was addressed,

_Kales_

_221B Baker Street_

_URGENT_

John set down the kettle and walked out into the living room to see Sherlock and Kylie still in the same position they were in not two minutes earlier.

"Kylie," John said softly as Sherlock glared at him for talking to her, "Thomas left you a note."

Kylie's body stiffened as she pulled her head out of Sherlock's neck. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot as she stared at John, almost asking if it was some sort of joke.

She got out of Sherlock's lap hurriedly and snatched the letter out of his hands, opening it quickly as if she took too long, it would give her an incurable disease.

Sherlock stood up quickly as well, walking behind her to read over her shoulder.

_Ten little Indian boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were Nine.__  
_

_Nine little Indian boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were Eight.__  
_

_Eight little Indian boys traveling in Devon; One said he'd stay there and then there were Seven.__  
_

_Seven little Indian boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in halves and then there were Six.__  
_

_Six little Indian boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were Five.__  
_

_Five little Indian boys going in for law; One got into Chancery and then there were Four.__  
_

_Four little Indian boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were Three.__  
_

_Three little Indian boys walking in the Zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were Two.__  
__Two Little Indian boys playing with a gun; One shot the other and then there was one.)__  
_

_One little Indian boy left all alone; He went out and hanged himself and then there were none._

Kylie looked up at them after reading the note.

"He's going after everyone I care about," she told them with wide eyes as her shaking began once more.

**Review?**

**PS. The poem is from ****And Then There Were None**** by Agatha Christy, which is an AMAZING book. **


	52. Chapter 52

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I love you guys. Seriously, I had one of the worst days ever and you all made me so happy it was absurd! So thank you! I love you all!**

**And yes, I did get the idea for how Thomas escaped from Bones. It was a pretty ingenious idea.**

**Anyhow, here is the next chapter!**

**Enjoy!**

"I don't get it," John said, "It's a poem about Indians. How on earth is that a message that he is going to hurt everyone around you?"

"It's a poem from my favorite book," Kylie told him, "It's just like the Cupid poem when he was killing those people like fairy tale characters. He is bringing stuff from our relationship and haunting me with it, forcing me to look at it."

"And then there were none," Sherlock muttered as he read the poem once more.

"Agatha Christy?" John said looking at her, "Actually, that makes a lot of sense for being your favorite book."

Kylie didn't respond. She just kept looking at the letter. Reading it, and rereading it over and over again before abruptly walking out of the flat.

Sherlock looked at her confused before following immediately, leaving John to tag along behind the both of them.

"We need to go to the Yard," Kylie told Lestrade, "I need to see the files on the fairy tale murders."

Lestrade hung up the phone and looked at her as if she had slightly lost her mind. About five minutes ago she had been crying and shaking, and now she was determined and angry as a hornet…. women…

"NOW Lestrade," Kylie said as she willed him to open the car just as Sherlock and John came down out the door.

**^#%#* **

Lestrade and Charlie set two large boxes down on his desk with a grunt.

"Here's everything," Lestrade told her as Kylie flung open the box and began digging through the files looking for something specific.

Sherlock was at a loss, he had no clue what she was on about and for him, being clueless was a rare occurrence, and one that he did not like. That was why he was extremely thankful for John's next question.

"What is it exactly that you are looking for?" he asked as they watched her obsessively flip through file after file. If John didn't know better, he would have thought that Kylie was on some sort of recreational drug.

"The apple," Kylie said as she threw a file over her shoulder, "Snow White's apple."

"So, we found an apple at the hospital with the victim dressed as Snow White," Lestrade said, "I don't really see the point."

"There has to be a clue in the apple," Kylie said as she emptied the box onto the desk, causing files to go everywhere before she picked up the one that she finally was looking for.

"Why the apple?" John asked.

"BECAUSE IT HAS TO BE IN THE APPLE," Kylie snapped at him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Everyone else in the room looked at each other, she was turning into Sherlock…a moodier version of Sherlock. If the situation hadn't been so tense, John most likely would have laughed at the bewildered and frightened look on Sherlock's face as he gazed upon what he looked like during cases…. not that he realized that.

Dr. Witham, who had been down the hall slowly walked into the office, gaping at Kylie's behavior and the files on the ground. He took one look at her and began charting her emotional and mental break down in his head.

"Dr. Gibbs," Witham said softly, "Is something wrong?"

"Go away," Kylie snapped as she picked up a file without even looking at it and chucking it at his face.

Witham looked at her as if she were a completely different person. In fact, everyone in the room became much more worried about her at that moment. She was not acting like the Kylie Gibbs they all knew one bit.

"I know that your Ex was killed in a fire…" Witham began before Kylie cut him off.

"He wasn't killed," Kylie told him shortly.

"The autopsy and DNA report say otherwise," Witham said looking at the file in his hand.

Everyone stared at Witham with wide eyes.

"That cant be right," John said as Sherlock snatched the file from Witham before Kylie snatched it from him. Her eyes began searching every part of it.

"I assure you that was indeed Thomas Moore in that cell," Witham told her.

"No, the lab messed up," Kylie said handing the file to Sherlock and looking at Lestrade, "Tell them to run it again."

"They have," Anderson said as he walked into the room, looking sadly at Kylie, "We ran it three times."

"Well if you ran it its bound to be wrong," Sherlock argued.

Anderson's face flushed with anger while John rolled his eyes at the drama Sherlock had created once more.

"Run it four times," Kylie said as she began pacing, "Run it five, I don't care! All that I know is that that body had a firefighter's tattoo and Thomas had a broken arm four years ago that was not on the body."

"Thomas was a part of Baltimore Fire Department for a year after he graduated high school," Witham told her calmly, "I think you and I need to schedule regular sessions."

"I knew that," Kylie told him, "But he DIDN'T have a tattoo! I'm NOT wrong!"

"Excuse me," a timid voice said behind all of them, "I'm looking for Detective Inspector Lestrade. I'm here to claim my brother's remains."

Kylie's heart dropped into her throat as she turned and saw Thomas standing in the doorway. He wasn't wearing his typical suit, no; he was in a plaid shirt and cardigan. Wearing slacks and glasses. He looked like a nerd, not Thomas…in fact, very opposite of Thomas, but Thomas all the same.

Thomas looked at Kylie and smiled at her, "You must be Dr. Gibbs. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Thomas told me so much about you. How you met, how you fell in love, how you claimed he raped you and broke his heart."

Kylie couldn't even open her mouth before Sherlock stepped in front of her, blocking her from Thomas's gaze as he glared at him murderously. The only thing stopping him from killing him right on the spot was the fact that there were witnesses.

"Well," Charlie said as he pulled out his cuffs and walked over to Thomas, "This has to be one of the dumbest things I have seen today. Thomas Moore you are under arrest for escaping from a Federal…"

"I'm not Thomas!" Thomas said as Charlie continued to cuff him, "I'm his twin brother! I'm here to pick up his remains!"

Kylie laughed, "That has to be one of the worst lies I have ever seen! You only had a sister! A sister that you murdered and left her head as a clue for me."

"We had a falling out between the three of us. Thomas only sought me out after you ripped his heart out of his chest." Thomas told her.

"You raped me you bastard," Kylie told him in a dangerous whisper, her shaking beginning to return.

"I'm not Thomas," He exclaimed, "My name is Steven. Steven Moore. Look me up! You have Interpol! I just want to collect Thomas's remains and leave. That's all."

Lestrade sighed before he went over to his computer and typed in the name.

"Lestrade, why are you even doing that? You know its going to turn up negative," Kylie told him as she tried to calm herself once more hiding behind Sherlock to escape Thomas's stares.

Lestrade was gaping at the computer. John gave him a weird look and followed behind to read too. John's heart dropped once more into his stomach.

"He's real," John said in disbelief.

Kylie rushed behind the computer to look as well. That couldn't be right. It just couldn't. Sure enough there was a birth certificate medical records, high school diploma, college diploma, W-2's social security number…. everything. A whole life. Steven Moore's whole life.

"Do you see?" Thomas…or Steven… told them, "Can you uncuff me now?"

Charlie looked at Lestrade as Sherlock kept glaring at him.

"Uncuff him," Lestrade said sighing.

"WHAT?" Kylie yelled, "You know perfectly well this is bull and you are just going to let him walk out of here?"

"We don't have anything on him Kylie," Lestrade explained to her as "Steven" rubbed his unbound wrists.

"She's on a bit of the crazy side isn't she," he muttered to Charlie, "People will get hurt if they hang around her too much. But I have to admit; my brother certainly did have good taste. I mean look at that ass."

Charlie's fist clenched to punch before Sherlock beat him to it. Sherlock knocked him to the ground before bending down to continue hitting him before officers swarmed around him, pulling him off. Sherlock yanked himself out of their grip as he watched "Steven" get up slowly, blood pouring down his face.

"I want him arrested," Steven told Lestrade.

Lestrade didn't move a muscle, instead just looked at him.

"I'll be back," Steven said as he walked out of the building.

Kylie just watched him go in disbelief. He had walked into Scotland Yard, strutted around, and yet was still able to walk out.

"Dr. Gibbs, I think we should talk in my office," Witham told her.

"You are just going to let him walk out of here?" Kylie asked Lestrade angrily.

"Kylie," Charlie asked as he was reading the Interpol file over Lestrade's shoulder, "Are you SURE that Thomas didn't have a twin brother?"

Kylie gaped at him.

"I think Dr. Gibbs is undergoing severe emotional distress over losing someone that she loved and trying to convince herself otherwise," Witham said.

"First of all, I don't love Thomas," Kylie told him as she began to shake more and more as she paced, "And second of all, THAT WAS THOMAS WHO JUST WALKED OUT OF HERE!"

"Kylie, DNA does not lie," Witham told her, "Thomas is dead."

"He was in my flat about an hour ago!" Kylie argued, "He threatened me and everyone I care about. I am not hallucinating or reflecting him onto other things like I know you think I am."

"Was anyone with you when you saw him?" Witham asked.

The room was silent. No one had seen or heard Thomas leave the flat.

"You are sick Dr. Gibbs," Witham told her softly, "You are having an emotional breakdown…"

"I'm not crazy," Kylie said as tears began to flow and her shaking got more and more vivid.

"How long have you been shaking?" Witham asked in a kind voice, "Since you found out Thomas was dead?"

"Guys," she pleaded with everyone else in the room, "I'm not imagining this! This is a trick!"

"Kylie, this is a lifetime worth of stuff," Charlie said timidly, not wanting to not believe his partner. Maybe she really did need help.

"It's not the kind of stuff that you can make up," Lestrade told her, "plus Interpol is an impossible database to hack since the security upgrade."

"THAT"S THOMAS!" Kylie yelled as she pointed out the door.

Lestrade, Charlie, and Anderson, all couldn't meet her eye as she stared at them in disbelief. They all wanted to believe her, they had her back. But Witham's argument was much more logical. She needed help.

"I think you should talk with Witham," Charlie said quietly.

Kylie shut her eyes as tears flowed down her face. They didn't believe her, believe in her. They all just dismissed her as crazy.

She couldn't take it. She couldn't do it anymore. Kylie just turned and walked out of the room.

Sherlock glared at the rest of the group before following Kylie out the door.

Witham looked at John, "You need to get her to come in. She needs help before she begins to harm herself or becomes reckless."

John just looked at him. He believed Kylie, he knew that that bastard had just walked in here, but seeing how different and odd Kylie was acting along with the damage and shaking…she needed Witham's help.

John just nodded before walking out of the office after Sherlock and Kylie.

**%#$ *#%**

Kylie burst out into the fresh London air as tears began to flow more rapidly down her cheeks. This wasn't happening. Thomas was walking freely out on the streets and she couldn't stop it. He had convinced everyone that she was losing her sanity by just implanting one little thought. One single thought that made even her closet friends think that she was crazy.

She felt a familiar body walk up beside her.

"I'm not crazy Sherlock," Kylie muttered as she looked at the street and pulled her jacket closer to her body.

Sherlock was stiff; he didn't know what to do. He didn't deal with emotions. He didn't really have emotions, as he had been told countless times.

Kylie looked over at him before her eyes dropped to his hand. His knuckles were cut and bloodied from contacting Thomas's face.

"Jesus," Kylie muttered as she grabbed it and looked at it.

Sherlock just watched her as for some reason, unknown to him, the hand made her even more emotional than she already was. She looked up at him before putting her arms around him and burying her face in his scarf before whispering as quiet thank you.

Sherlock held her with confusion. He literally had no idea what was going on with her. He just hoped that they would catch Thomas and she would go back to being her rational, smart-assed, happy self once more.

**Review?**


	53. Chapter 53

**Okay, so I know a bunch of you are upset with me for playing off of the idea of the fall and the whole Moriarty/Brook thing, but it will end up being a tad bit different. If you remember, I had to kill of Moriarty when Sherlock was doing the Fall and afterwards, Thomas used the name Richard Brook to get back to America to follow them. I know that you all want me to come up with 100% original ideas, and I wish I could, but I just feel that this needed….**

**Also, I know there have been a TON of twists and turns lately. Just bare with me for a little bit, it will all hopefully make sense soon!**

**Lastly, I'm sorry about how angsty this has been lately. I promise it will get fluffly and light for a while, but for now and dealing with Thomas and all of their pasts, it needs to be dark and angsty for a little bit. But I promise there is light at the end of the tunnel!  
**

**WARNING! REFERENCE TO RAPE! Not that detailed though…. But FYI. If you want to avoid that, just don't read the italics.**

**Enjoy!**

Kylie shut the bathroom door and leaned back against it. She felt bad for essentially locking herself in here immediately upon their return to Baker Street, but she needed to do this.

Kylie turned on the shower and began removing her clothes. She needed to think, to cry, to get all of her emotion out in one fell swoop so that she could focus and return to her daily life. Kylie looked at her hands as she was having trouble unbuttoning her shirt. Her hands were still shaking. She hated this. She wasn't weak, she wasn't someone who ran away, and yet this terrible man had made her do both of those things.

Kylie stepped into the shower and let the hot water pour over her. As soon as the water hit her face, her mind flashed back to one of the worst nights of her life.

_She had escaped. She didn't know why he had left her alone tied to the bed, but he had. He had finally finished with her. Kylie had been able to cut her restraints and pick the lock to the handcuffs before grabbing the first clothes she could find that Thomas hadn't torn or spilt her blood on and ran as fast as she could to her car. She flung open the door to her apartment and ran in crying. She felt dirty…used…. like he was crawling all over her skin. She flung off the clothes and turned on the shower as hot as it could go. _

_Her skin burned under the hot water, but she stood her ground as she began to wash and scrub herself until she rubbed parts of her skin raw. She could still feel him on her…_

Kylie came back to the real world as some water hit the now raw skin on her arm. She dropped the loofa as if it were diseased and backed away from it.

What in the hell was going on with her? She hadn't been like this…. Never… Sure she would still wear the healing scars that Thomas had left her, but those were memories, not flashbacks. Its like it was happening again and again. Over and over. She had gotten through it, both times. The first time had been by far the hardest. She had loved Thomas then, and he had betrayed her, violated her. The second had been when he kidnapped her along with Moriarty. She had been unconscious; maybe that's what made it a little easier. No, it was probably the fact that she had just thought that Sherlock had killed himself.

She had been in a dark place both times. The first, she went through it alone. Her and a journal, that's all that had gotten her through it the first time. The second time she had her father, and Sherlock. Granted, she never talked about it to Sherlock and his actions would not have seemed supportive to others, but him just being next to her…alive… had helped her through it a great deal.

Neither times had she ever been like this. Why had her mind just now decided to begin reliving every moment of her attack? Why now? Why when she was happy? Happy with a fantastic man? She had been worried about the first time that they made love, worried that she would have a flash back when being intimate for the first time after her attack. They had made love dozens of times since that first night of her return to London and every time seemed to push back her memories of what Thomas had done to her further and further away.

So why were they coming back? She wanted to be happy, she wanted to be intimate, she wanted her mind to be at peace.

Kylie took a breath and stepped back under the hot water allowing the tears and emotion to break through her walls.

**$#&%#(* **

"She's been in there for a half hour," John commented as he saw Sherlock glance at the bathroom door for the 67th time.

Sherlock's eyes traveled to him before he turned back to his laptop, "I wasn't aware that there was a time limit on showering."

"You're worried about her," John said seeing directly through Sherlock's façade.

Sherlock just kept typing something.

"We all are Sherlock," John said as his phone went off once more. John glanced at it before sighing, "Charlie's been texting me non-stop asking to have Kylie call him."

Sherlock didn't respond once more.

"Look," John said, dreading what he was about to tell his friend next, "I believe Kylie. I know that son of a bitch is out there and just played us all. Lestrade and Charlie want to believe her, but with how Thomas has planted a whole new life their hands are tied. They can't do anything. The only thing we can do is support her and get her the help she needs while trying to find a hole in Steven Moore."

Sherlock's head turned to look at John blankly. John swallowed, preparing himself for the next part. "But Witham is right, Kylie is on the verge of a breakdown. Maybe she should go see him. Get some help before she begins to get careless, or hurts herself."

"Yes John," Sherlock said non-chalantly, "That's a perfectly good idea."

John furrowed his eyebrows at his friend; it could not be that easy.

"Really?"

"Yes," Sherlock replied, "Except for the fact that it is completely absurd. Witham is a child who gets off on other's pain and suffering. He is a gossip who enjoys pulling people's skeletons out of their closets and thinks that talking about feelings will help you. If the 'feelings circle' is scientifically proven as a psychological tool, then it is obviously not a science, but a hippy-filled version of your emails to Mary."

"Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it won't help her," John said attempting to ignore the shots Sherlock had thrown in.

"Why? Because you saw a therapist?" Sherlock asked rolling his eyes, "Kylie's fine."

"Bullshit," John told him, "You know for a fact that she is not fine. You are just as worried about her as I am. Why else would you have beaten the crap out of him?"

Sherlock just rolled his eyes before getting up and walking towards the kitchen.

John stood up and got in his way, standing his ground as Sherlock glowered at him.

"I know you love her. God knows you will never say it, but you need to pull your head out your ass and get past the fact that you hate psychiatry because of your father."

Sherlock's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"Yeah," John told him, "I know about your father. Mycroft told me. And it also turns out that we studied him in medical school. I put two and two together and asked. But you need to put that aside and let Kylie get the help she needs."

"Move John," Sherlock growled.

"No," John told him, "You need to face this issue with your father as much as she needs to face this issue…." John began before Sherlock's fist connected with his cheek.

John was knocked to the floor and looked at Sherlock as he straightened it jacket.

"If that got you to shut up, I should have done it way sooner," Sherlock muttered as he began to proceed through the kitchen. He had almost made it through the door when John whirled him around and punched him…hard…

They both fell to the ground in a tussle, each throwing punches at the other until Mary walked up the stairs with Charlie.

They gaped at the two men on the floor before Charlie lunged at them, breaking them up.

"What in the HELL?" he asked. Neither of these two men were violent. Sherlock took a verbal approach when he was angry and John….well; John had the patience of a saint.

Both of them glared at each other before John turned and hugged an extremely worried Mary, kissing her temple and pulling her down the stairs of the flat with him.

Sherlock watched them leave before wiping the blood off of his lip that John had split open with his fingers and returned to his seat at the table.

Charlie watched him in amazement. How can someone act as if nothing had just happened so quickly?

"What was that about?" Charlie asked.

Sherlock didn't reply, just stared at his computer screen.

Charlie sighed; he obviously didn't want to talk.

"Where's Kylie?" he asked, "I need to talk to her."

Sherlock's eyes flicked over to him. Charlie swallowed, he looked pissed.

"Look, I just want to apologize," Charlie told him, "I'm not here to make things worse. Kylie is one of my best friends and I just want to make sure she is okay."

"She's fine," Sherlock replied as he glanced at his watch….50 minutes….

Charlie gaped at him, "Uh, no she isn't."

Sherlock got up with out a word as John came back into the room with Mary. He walked over to the bathroom, pulled a metal lock pick out of his pocket, picked the lock on the door and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

Charlie turned and looked at Mary and John before holding up his hands in confusion.

"What the hell?"

**%#$ * &**

Once he had shut the door behind him, Sherlock turned around cautiously. His eyes avoided the glass of the shower door as he felt the humidity of the hot water surround him.

He had heard Kylie when he had first entered, but now she was as quiet as a mouse. He looked out of the corner of his eye to look for her form to ensure that she was still there and alright. He only saw a shadow in the corner of the bath. He didn't want to open the door or look directly at it, saving her her decency, but he needed to be sure she wasn't hurt.

"Kylie?"

"Yeah?" she asked in reply in a small, very quiet voice that was much different from her usual tone.

"Are you alright?" Sherlock asked as he stood next to the shower, looking at the ground.

Kylie was quiet for a moment, "It keeps replaying over and over in my head. Its like he keeps raping me over and over again."

Sherlock felt something overtake him that he had not felt before. His heart cinched in his chest as his hand reached for the door of the shower.

"May I?" he heard himself ask.

There was no response, and no objection. He looked in the shower and there was Kylie, sitting on the floor of the tub. She was shivering from the water that had run cold. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy, almost as if she had sat there, hugging her knees to her chest for sometime.

That feeling he had grew stronger as he laid eyes upon her. She wouldn't even look at him; she just kept staring at the bottom of the tub as the cold water ran over her.

Before he really knew what he was doing, Sherlock removed his jacket and shoes before climbing in fully clothed with her. He just simply sat next to her as she stared off into space.

He didn't know what to say, what to do. So he just sat there with her. Kylie finally shivered and grabbed his bicep as she rested her head against his arm, still shaking. Sherlock just looked at her.

"I hate this, Sherlock. I just want to stop reliving it," Kylie told him as she shook even more.

Sherlock reached over and grabbed her hand, looking at her fingers as the cool water poured down over them.

"They're just memories," Sherlock told her, "That's all."

She just shivered and gripped his bicep tighter as she stared off into the distance.

She needed to get out of the cold. Sherlock reached up and turned off the knob shutting the shower immediately. While Sherlock's arm was behind her, she rested her head on his shoulder and squeezed his hand a little tighter. Sherlock dropped his arm back down and put it around her, resting his hand on her forehead as if to keep her in that position as long as she needed. His fingers began running through her hair in attempt to calm her.

Sherlock knew he looked ridiculous. He would have hated himself for doing this a year ago. This wasn't him. But right now that didn't matter, all that mattered was getting that bastard who had turned the woman in his arms life into a living hell.

**Thanks to those who reviewed last chapter! You made my crappy day WAY Better!**

**Review once more?**


	54. Chapter 54

**Thanks so much to everyone who dropped me a review….or comment….or whatever the hell it is now…**

**I love you all! I had a pretty crappy week and you guys helped to make it a little brighter!**

**I'm almost done with summer school…..THANK GOODNESS! So I will get back to thanking you all individually once class ends. I really wish I had the time to write each of you an essay saying how much I love you for reviewing, but unfortunately I do not.**

**Here's the next part! I hope you enjoy!**

Kylie sat on the floor next to Mary as she folded invitation after invitation. Mary was trying to take her mind off of what had happened and she very much appreciates that. She had already begun to accept that Thomas was out there once more, but it was still the rape that kept replaying over and I've in her head. She watched everyone in the room. Charlie kept giving her pitiful glances while he cleaned his gun. John kept whispering to Sherlock harshly, looking at her the entire time. And then there was Sherlock.

If you didn't know him, one would believe that this was not affecting him at all. He seemed calm, relaxed even as he sat in his armchair with his hands folded in front of him. Kylie sighed and looked down before pushing her still dripping hair out of her face. She had been forced to wear two sweatshirts once she had come out of the bathroom with Sherlock.

He just shoved one at her as she was getting dressed only to come out in the living room to have John and Mary fuss over her when they saw her shivering and shaking. She finally was able to settle down once Mary had shoved another sweatshirt on her before John made her a cup of tea.

Kylie restacked her set of invitations and sighed as she nodded and smiled half-heartedly at Mary as she rambled on about the incompetent florist. Believe it or not, Kylie was thankful that her friends were trying to distract her. Anything was better than being trapped in her own mind. What she really wanted to do though, was find Thomas. Find him and get him out of her life for good.

Kylie had just realized that Mary had stopped talking. She looked at her.

"You okay?" Mary asked her.

"Yeah," Kylie said softly before nodding and folding another invitation.

Mary's hand covered hers, "if anyone can catch that son of a bitch, it will be John and Sherlock."

Kylie smiled at her and squeezed her hand before turning back to the invitations once more.

"Yeah, but the poem," John said as he spoke quietly to Charlie as Sherlock sat in-between the two of them thinking, " Kylie said that it meant that he was coming after the people that she cared about most."

Charlie sighed, "I knew Thomas. Kylie and I were partnered when they met. I had no idea that this was the real him. I mean he's a fucking nut job. And what he did to her...?"

Charlie sighed.

"Was there anything that you remember that can give us any hints or insight to his plan? I mean I don't know what we can do," John told him before glancing at an unresponsive Sherlock.

Charlie looked at Kylie. She did seem a little better. Her shaking had calmed down. She seemed less scared and more... Uncomfortable on her own skin. It was really unlike her. She was a confidant woman, sure of who she was. The only thing that made her squirm was when people put her at the center of attention due to her body or looks. She could handle any situation with strength and poise, but this... This was a whole new thing all together.

"I don't know," Charlie told John, " we only really worked together briefly. He and Kylie started dating right after that case. And the CIA promoted him to field agent."

John sighed before picking the note Thomas left off the table and reading it for the fourth time that night.

"Why this poem though?" John asked, "I get that's it's her favorite book but why this poem? Wouldn't a letter saying 'hey I'm headed over right now for a nice cup of tea. Can you put the kettle on? Oh, and then I'm going to hurt everyone close to you. Hope that's okay, I wouldn't want to impose' cut it a little better?"

"Have you ever read And Then There Were None?" Kylie asked softly from across the room.

John froze; he didn't realize that Kylie could hear him.

"Its about eight guests invited to the island for a dinner party when they get a message from the host and they begin dying one by one," Charlie said.

Sherlock was brought of his thoughts and gave him a strange look.

"I wasn't aware that you could read," Sherlock said before turning back to staring into space once more.

Kylie cracked a slight smile as Charlie gaped at Sherlock.

"But it refers to ten people," John said as he looked down at the poem once more.

"Eight guests and two attendants," Kylie told them as she folded more invitations.

"So this was just a reminder of your love of the book?" John asked, still not following.

Sherlock slammed his hands down on the table, "OH GOD!" Everyone in the room jumped as Sherlock turned in annoyance to John, "Seriously? Are you lot that slow? It's a message. Thomas followed fairy tales the first time around and the poem is referring to a fictional series of murders. Murders that he plans on repeating. Seriously John."

John glared at his friend, "Remind me why I don't just deck you again? Everything that comes out of your mouth is an insult"

"It's the rational truth," Sherlock said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Really? Because I hear punch me in the face every time you speak, but its usually subtext."

Charlie sniggered at the comment as Sherlock glared and Mary rolled her eyes.

"Boys," Mary said trying to calm the situation, which went completely ignored by Sherlock.

"Why don't you go write about it on your _blog_," he said with disgust. He really did hate that blog…well, until it brought him an interesting case.

"That blog is your living Sherlock," John told him.

"I have a blog."

"Not one that anyone with out a PhD could read. Not that anyone would be interested in reading about two-hundred and forty types of tobacco ash," John muttered.

"Two hundred and forty three," Sherlock corrected, "And at least mine has scientific rational."

"Rational that no one cares about Sherlock!" John argued back, "Only you think it's interesting!"

"Kylie thinks it's interesting," Sherlock retorted.

"Kylie is also sleeping with you," John told him.

Sherlock looked at him with sincere confusion, "Because we sleep in the same room? Is that really an argument?"

"No," John explained "Its because the two of you are having sex."

Sherlock gave him a strange look once more, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Really?" Charlie asked in shock at how oblivious Sherlock was being.

"Guys," Kylie said trying to get them to stop what she knew was coming next.

"You see," Mary said, not able to suppress the smile on her face, "When a man meets a woman and falls in love, and they want to tell each other how much they love each other. They act like bees in the garden."

Mary began before Charlie began outright laughing and John smirked as Kylie glared at Mary in disbelief.

"Really, the birds and the bees speech?"

"The male be leaves a little bit of his pollen on the female flower and allows seeds to grow," Mary said as if she were talking to child.

"Seriously," Kylie told her friend, "the man is well aware of what sex is. Trust me."

"And soon, there's a baby that comes!" Mary continued, ignoring Kylie.

Sherlock looked at Mary as if she had lost her mind completely, "A fetus doesn't develop because a bee pollinates a flower."

Charlie laughed even harder as Sherlock grew slightly more confused. John just smirked and sat back in his chair, enjoying his fiancé pick on his best friend.

"Guys stop," Kylie said looking at them sincerely.

"How is that funny?" Sherlock asked, "It's a scientific fact!"

"Did you never get _the talk_?" Mary asked in slight amazement.

Sherlock just looked at her as if she had grown a third head.

Kylie rolled her eyes and got up, walking over to where Sherlock sat and grabbed his hand, pulling him with her towards their bedroom. Sherlock walked into the bathroom with her willingly and shut the door behind him.

Mary looked at John and Charlie, "Is she really going to explain _the talk _to him right now?"

Charlie gave her a mischievous grin, "No, I think she's going to _show_ him."

John snorted with laughter into his tea.

**$ #*^ & **

Kylie walked into the bedroom and froze immediately as she looked inside of the room. Sherlock walked right into her, not expecting her to stop in her tracks so suddenly.

He looked at her strangely as she stood there, her eyes glued to the bed.

He followed her gaze, ultimately landing on what looked like a small chest lying on the bed. It was about the size of a shoebox and looked as if it were an antique of some sort.

"Please tell me that you left that there," Kylie said breathlessly, her shaking returning once more.

Sherlock looked at her. She had paled, her eyes were wide, her pulse had quickened. Sherlock shook his head at her and looked back at the box.

Kylie just kept staring at it in fear.

Sherlock walked over to it and glanced at her before undoing the latch and opening the box. He just looked at the contents before looking at Kylie.

Kylie took a breath before walking over and looking in the box, only to have the breath catch in her throat.

In the box, lay small figurines. Each carved as a different individual Indian…ten of them….

**Review/Comment?**


	55. Chapter 55

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I seriously love you guys! For real! You have no idea how much better my day gets!**

**So, I reread last chapter and realized how TERRIBLE it was… for real… So I apologize. I wrote it on my phone…bad call..**

**Anyhow this chapter took me FOREVER to write…I don't know why, but it did.**

**Hope this one is at least better than the last!  
**

**Enjoy!**

"Its from the story," Kylie said as she shook even more than she had, "The figurings, when someone was killed, one of the figurines disappeared."

Sherlock looked at her before pulling out the figurines one by one. Each of them had the same face; the only difference between them was what they were holding.

He inspected each one individually. One was holding a small rifle, the next a film reel; the one following held what looked like a stack of pages labeled as what looked like _La Moluccheide_. He found that the others were engraved with objects such as a bouquet, a cup of tea, a "pony card", and what looked like a doll. The last three however were the strangest. One of the figures wasn't holding anything at all; in fact it just had the word _baccalāris_ engraved on its chest. Sherlock pulled out another and paused. This one was wearing a deerstalker and had a fake heart protruding out of its chest. It was strange…

He shook the thoughts raging through his head out and picked up the last one. This last one was holding a bone with an outstretched hand.

"What in the hell is all of this Sherlock?" Kylie asked softly as she looked at the figures, almost afraid to touch them, "I mean why are they all slightly different?"

Sherlock looked at her. They both knew the answer to that question, the deerstalker on the one had given that away, but neither of them spoke. Neither of them really wanted to admit that all of their friends including themselves were about to be in serious danger.

Kylie broke eye contact and looked down at the figurines, thoughts, emotions, regret, and panic all running through her mind.

"I have to leave," she said suddenly as tears began to stream down her face, "I have to run again. He wants me, if I leave he'll leave you all alone."

Sherlock looked at her, seriously confused. She wanted to leave?

"It's the only way to save you," Kylie whispered before she walked out of the room.

She walked into the living room to see Charlie grinning at her; "Well you two have a good go at it then?"

John and Mary frowned when they saw her face.

"KYLIE!" Sherlock yelled as he charged out of the room after her.

Kylie silently walked over to the desk, took out her gun, tossed it in her purse, grabbed her coat and walked over to the door.

"I'm sorry," she said as she put her hand on the knob.

"Kylie! Where are you going?" John asked as she began to open it only to have a strong arm shut it forcefully and prevent her from opening it again.

Kylie followed the arm only to see Sherlock. He had a look on his face that Kylie hadn't seen before. He had a combination of worry, anger and something else that Kylie couldn't quite place written all over his face.

"You said that Thomas wants to punish you," He told her, "If you runaway he's still going to hurt the people you care about. It doesn't matter if you are here or on the other side of the world. He's still going to come. It just makes you an easier target for him. Rationally it is far better for you to stay here, where it's safe so we can catch him. It's the only way that this will stop. Sacrificing yourself won't help. He's already got a plan Kylie. You know Thomas, and he's taken a page put of Moriarty's book and he's calculating. He's probably plotted this whole thing in prison. Most likely why he allowed himself to be thrown in prison in the first place to establish the connections he needed in London. He knows what he's doing, and it doesn't matter your actions, he's going to follow through with it anyway. So just….stay here…"

Kylie just looked at him. She could see the emotion in his eyes. No one else on the room could see it, but she could.

"This is my problem. Not one that you all deserve to be dragged into and hurt," Kylie said in a small voice.

"I think I speak for everyone in this room," Charlie said as he stood up, " we'd all rather die than let that son of a bitch do what he has already done to you again."

John and Mary nodded, it was true. They would die to help their friend take down this bastard.

Kylie was just looking at them, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I thought you believed Thomas was dead," Kylie asked Charlie.

Charlie looked at the ground, "I don't care who the hell he is. He's threatened me and my friends and I'll be damned if he succeeds." Charlie just looked at her for a moment, "Don't throw yourself out under the bus. Your boyfriend's right, he'll track us all down anyways. Catching him is the only way to end it."

"We need you to help catch him," John told her.

"We're all in this together," Mary said.

Kylie just looked at Sherlock. He was staring at her, his eyes pleading with her.

"Stay," he told her.

Kylie swallowed and nodded. John could literally see Sherlock's body relax a little upon her agreement to stay here. He couldn't help but smile at his best friend as he watched him talk to Kylie quietly. He really had fallen in love with her. Usually Sherlock would have let anyone go off and blame it on their own stupidity for getting hurt, but with her he had basically pleaded (well, pleaded as much as Sherlock could). It was amazing, simply amazing how much Sherlock was becoming more emotional, and it was all due to the auburn haired woman who he was currently leading over to the couch.

"They really are adorable aren't they?" Mary said quietly to John as she grabbed his hand.

Charlie over heard as he came back over to the table and sat down next to John, "You can't help but want to go 'Awww' whenever you see them."

Mary smiled and watched the two of them talk quietly before Sherlock reached out and brushed a strand of hair out of her face before blushing after he realized that there were others in the room.

"She's really changed him hasn't she?" She asked John, "I mean he's still Sherlock Holmes, but she's made him not afraid to interact with people. He used to hole himself up in his work, build walls around himself."

John nodded, "He'd talk to me and Mycroft, and that was about it."

"He's changed her too," Charlie told them, "When I was working with her and she was with Thomas, she was strong, but you could see that she began to question herself a lot. She was always the brightest person in the room, but a lot of decisions were made because of her. She was 26 at the time and for a 26 year old, that's a lot of pressure when you are convicting people left and right."

"She did?" John asked slightly shocked.

"Oh yeah," Charlie told them, "A couple months before she left, she messed up. She missed a key piece of evidence and sent the wrong man to jail. Granted, it was some evidence that no one would have ever found, let alone miss, but after that, she began to question almost everything that she did. She had always been confident, but after that, she lost most of it. That, and the whole ordeal with Thomas makes it even more amazing she got through it all without telling anyone."

John looked back at the couple. They both were amazingly strong, it really was quite amazing. John only had a small idea of what Sherlock had been through in his life from Mycroft, but his life before John had met him had not been filled with rainbows and rabbits. He was just glad that Sherlock had found someone. He had never embarked on a relationship before and John couldn't have asked for anyone better for his friend. Kylie was supportive, calming, able to keep up with Sherlock mentally, had earned his respect, and didn't tolerate his crap while pushing Sherlock to be a better man, a better detective.

**%#$& ***

"So you think that these statues symbolize each one of us?" Charlie asked through a mouth full of Cho Mein.

After a while of decompressing, the group eventually had come together and begun discussing the case once more around the living room. It had been at that point that Kylie had retrieved the antique box and figurines.

"Sherlock is obviously the one in the hat," Mary said as she laughed.

"Which one am I?" John asked as he looked through the figurines.

"I need to call my Dad," Kylie sighed as she ran a hand through her hair and hugged her knee to her chest. "He and Tony are in danger too."

"Your Dad is going to go ape," Charlie said before taking another bite of Chow Mein before pausing before taking a bite, "though with Thomas, that may solve all of our problems."

"Yeah Charlie," Kylie said getting up and getting her phone, "Thanks for liking the fact that my father wants to commit murder."

"All that I am saying is that your Dad is a badass," Charlie said as Kylie sat back down and looked at her phone as if in debate.

"Wait until the morning sweetie," Mary said as she made her a plate of food, snatching the chow mein out of Charlie's hands to put some on Kylie's plate, "Its about three in the morning over there."

She sighed and hugged her knees to her chest once more as she sat next to Sherlock on the couch.

"Here," Mary said handing her a plate of food, "Eat. It will make you feel better."

"I'm not hungry," Kylie muttered, "Thank you though."

Sherlock looked over at her. To Mary, that was a sign of concern. Not much brought Sherlock out of his train for thought, but when he looked at Kylie when she said she wasn't eating….she knew he was worried.

All of a sudden, Kylie's phone rang. She looked down at the caller ID and shut her eyes, her father.

"Hello?" Kylie said as she picked up.

"What's wrong Ky?" her father asked.

Kylie sighed and got up off the couch and walked into John's old bedroom.

"Her Dad's infamous gut-feeling," he supplied.

^#*$#

"What happened?" Gibbs asked.

"Thomas is on the streets again Dad," Kylie said in a small voice.

"WHAT?" He father growled over the other end of the line.

"He escaped. Started a fire in the cell, killed the first responder, took his clothes, burned the body and walked out the front door."

"He hasn't touched you has he?"

Kylie was silent.

"HAS HE?"

"No, Dad."

"Has he threatened you?"

Silence once more.

"Ky?"

"He showed up at our flat."

"Wait, our flat?" Gibbs asked.

_Oh shit…._ Kylie froze. She hadn't quite told her father that she had moved in with Sherlock. Actually, she had told him she was moving into her old place. For some reason her father didn't take too well to the idea of his daughter living with a man out of wedlock. It wasn't as like he was like Mary's parents, but Kylie think it had something to do with her mother's beliefs and her grandfather's old fashion ways.

"You moved in with him?"

"Uh… yeah…"

There was a long silence on the other end of the line.

"Good," her father told her.

"Good?" Kylie gaped. Never in a million years did she think that would be his answer.

"Yeah."

Kylie just took a moment to take in the fact that her father actually APPROVED of her "shacking up" with Sherlock.

"So what happened?"

Kylie sighed, "He uh… threatened me. Told me that he was going to kill everyone I care about as punishment for me leaving him. He left me the poem from And Then There Were None."

"The one about the Indians?"

"Yeah. He's coming after you and Tony Dad."

Gibbs was silent on the other end of the line.

"Dad?"

"I gotta go Ky. Make sure to stay with Sherlock or Charlie at all times."

"Wait Dad…"

"Love you Ky."

"Dad…"

"bye."

Kylie looked at her phone in shock. What in the hell had just happened?

**All questions about the figurines will be answered soon!**

**Review?**


	56. Chapter 56

**A huge thanks to everyone who has reviewed! I love you guys!**

**Yes, I do now realize that my time frame was off last chapter. I was too lazy to look up the time change from the UK to America so I just made it up. The last chapter was supposed to end around five in the evening on the same day as the class, so lets just pretend… Sorry about that guys!**

**I have also had a few questions asking if Kylie was acting like this because she is preggers….no….she is not. Sorry to disappoint. It's a freak out and maybe PMS…**

**Anyhows, Here is the next chapter. Hopefully it will be a little clearer for you guys!  
**

**Enjoy!**

"You okay?" John inquired as she walked back into the room.

"Yeah," Kylie said as if she were in a daze, "My Dad just hung up on me."

She sat down next to Sherlock once more and hugged her knees to her chest, thinking.

Sherlock looked at her for a moment before looking at John. Mary smiled slightly; it was if he was asking his best friend what he should do.

"So how on earth did…. who ever the hell this guy is…" Charlie began before Sherlock's head snapped towards him.

"You mean Thomas," Sherlock corrected him pointedly.

"DNA said it was Thomas who was dead," Charlie said as Kylie and Sherlock glared daggers at him.

"DNA is only good as the records you keep," John said remember what Irene had told him when she had faked her death.

Kylie looked at John as if he were a genius, "That's how he did it. He took a sample from the guy he killed. He ran it while everyone else was worried about the fire and left it in the system under his name."

"Allowed him a free pass to become Steven," Sherlock said as he folded his hands in front of his face, "And him posing as an Identical twin, he would have the exact same DNA. Oh that brilliantly clever…" Sherlock smiled.

"Sherlock," John said pointedly as he looked at Kylie who had drawn her legs closer to herself.

Sherlock furrowed his brow in confusion at John before he looked at Kylie and became extremely awkward once more. Mary cracked a grin at his internal debate that was raging. She could tell that he wanted to reach out and hold her, even just squeeze her hand, but with Charlie, John and herself staring at him, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He just sat there, his hand itching to reach out to her.

"So we can't disprove him," Kylie sighed as she picked up the figurine that was holding what looked like a script labeled _La Moluccheide. _Sherlock took his focus and concern off of Kylie when he saw the figurine once more.

He gently reached out and took it from her. She gave it to him willingly, intrigued by what he was thinking.

"What do you see?" Kylie asked as she watched Sherlock get up and walk over to his laptop.

"La Moluccheide," Sherlock said as he began to boot up the computer, "I know that name. It's a play, a long lost play."

"It's a clue," Charlie said catching on.

"No, its just what he wants to name his first born child," Sherlock said sarcastically, "of course it's a clue!"

"Sherlock," Kylie said softly as she got up and wandered over to where he was.

Sherlock looked annoyed with Charlie, not to mention he had been acting as if he wanted to tear his head off for not believing Kylie. It was only when Kylie put her hand over his shoulder and began rubbing his chest as she read the computer screen that he relaxed slightly and turned back to the computer.

"It was an Italian play," Kylie read.

"What does that have to do with one of us or someone else close to you?" John asked.

"It was written by Giacomo Casanova," Sherlock said.

Kylie looked at Charlie, "Gee, I wonder who that is supposed to be."

"Me?" Charlie asked.

"Casanova?" Mary said raising an eyebrow at him, "Oh yeah, that's you."

"Casanova?" Charlie asked, "Well yeah, but I don't know who that guy is."

Sherlock rolled his eyes as Kylie looked at him pointedly, "Giacomo Casanova was the original Casanova. He was a womanizer and where the term originated."

"Oh," Charlie said looking at it.

"So who are the rest of these?" Mary asked picking up the figurines before taking another bite of food.

Kylie walked over and began looking at the figurines.

"Well, that one is obviously Sherlock," John said as he picked up the one wearing the deerstalker.

Kylie nodded before picking up the one holding a movie reel, "This one has to be Tony."

"And this one is your badass father," Charlie said as he held up the figure holding a rifle.

Kylie held up the one labeled _baccalāris_ as Sherlock walked up beside her.

"Its Latin," Sherlock told them.

"For what?" John asked.

"Bachelor," Sherlock said looking at John.

"Are you fluent in Latin?' Kylie asked, slightly impressed.

Sherlock just smiled at her.

"Seriously? That's how Thomas defines me? Bachelor?" John asked in amazement.

"That is what the papers are calling you dear," Mary said as she picked up the plates.

"Bachelor?" John said in disbelief.

Kylie cracked a smile and picked up the next one, a figurine holding a bouquet.

"This one is obviously you," she said to Mary.

"He knows we're getting married?" Mary asked as Kylie shrugged.

"And I'm still Bachelor?" John asked.

Mary laughed before kissing his cheek and wandered into the kitchen to do the dishes.

"This one?" Sherlock asked picking up the figurine holding the doll.

Kylie looked at it intently, "I have no clue," she whispered.

"Mrs. Hudson with her herbal soothers," John said holding up the one with the cup of tea.

"Is this you?" Charlie asked holding up the figure holding a bone.

Kylie looked at it curiously, that was not how she pictured Thomas defining her.

"I mean you work with bones and with the last line of the poem and all, " Charlie said.

"The last one hanged himself and then there were none," Mary recited as she walked back into the room.

"I guess so," Kylie said as she pulled off one of the sweatshirts she was wearing and ran a hand through her hair.

"So who are the other ones?" Charlie asked holding up the last two figurines, One holding a doll and the other a 'pony card'.

"Lestrade," Sherlock said as he picked the one with the 'pony card'. Everyone stared at him in shock.

"He bets twice a week on the horses down on 5th Street. Gotten in to debt a few times. Most likely why his wife is having an affair," Sherlock said non-chalantly with a shrug.

Kylie just stared at it, she had no clue about Lestrade's gambling problem at all. It was only something that Sherlock would pick up, though it surprised her that he hadn't said anything about it before.

"And then there was one," Charlie said as he looked at the last figurine.

"Who is that Kylie?" Sherlock asked.

"I don't know," Kylie said as she racked her brain.

"You have to know," Sherlock said.

"Well, I don't," Kylie snapped before walking into the upstairs bedroom.

Sherlock watched her go in confusion as Charlie, Mary and John sat there awkwardly.

"Way to go there Sherlock," John told him.

"What?" Sherlock asked, seriously confused.

"She's upset," Mary supplied gently, knowing that he didn't understand what was going on, "Her crazy ex has escaped made everyone believe she is crazy, and now he's coming after her friends. She has every right to be."

Sherlock just stared at Mary, unmoving.

"Go apologize," John told him.

"For what?" Sherlock asked. She was upset; he didn't realize what that had to do with him.

"Because you are a dick. Look, right now, you can't be rash with her," John informed him.

"But she knows…" Sherlock argued before Mary put a hand on his arm startling him slightly.

"Just be gentle with her," Mary told him patiently, "Go hold her. That's what she needs right now."

**#$^#($&#%**

Kylie shut the bedroom door behind her and ran another hand through her hair. She just needed a break from all of this. She knew Sherlock wasn't intentionally being rude to her, but still, it hurt slightly. She knew he didn't understand really what she was going through and he was being supportive in the best way that he could.

But still, Kylie could help but feel a little hurt.

She was tired, but she didn't want to sleep. She didn't even know how she was going to teach class tomorrow. Hell, she had only taught for about twenty minutes that morning before Sherlock, Lestrade, and John had all walked in.

The door opened and Sherlock walked in awkwardly. Kylie looked at him before turning and looking back down at the bed. He just stared at her before walking up next to her and just standing there.

"I'm…sorry," Sherlock told her.

Kylie shut her eyes and smiled, "Did John or Mary tell you to tell me that?"

Sherlock looked at her blankly, not really expecting that to have been her response.

"I'll take that as a yes," Kylie said as she stood there.

Kylie felt his arms pulling her gently towards him and into a hug. There he just held her, held her until she grabbed onto his shirt due to all of the emotion running through her.

"I am sorry," he whispered to her.

Kylie pulled back and kissed him tenderly, wordlessly telling him he was forgiven.

Kylie broke the kiss and Sherlock looked at her, brushing that stubborn piece of hair out of her face before kissing her forehead.

**#&%#***

"You need to sleep," John told Kylie as she sat on the couch and yawned.

"I'm fine," Kylie said as she looked at the clock. It was eleven…eleven at night; it felt as though an entire week had passed.

"You look dead on your feet Kylie," Mary told her out of concern, "I'll make you a cup of tea."

"I'll do it," Sherlock said getting up.

Everyone looked at him strangely. Sherlock making tea…that was something that almost NEVER happened.

Sherlock walked into the kitchen and began banging around.

Mary raised an eyebrow at Kylie, "So, what did happen upstairs?" she asked with a grin.

Kylie tossed the throw pillow at her as she giggled before Sherlock came back out and gave her the tea.

Kylie smiled at him softly and accepted the mug with thanks.

Sherlock took his seat next to her as he noticed John was looking at him suspiciously.

Kylie took a sip before confusion took over her face. "Did you put honey in this?" she asked, "Its really sweet."

Kylie paused looking at Sherlock's slightly hurt look on his face.

"Its good," Kylie said smiling at him, "Thank you," she said before taking another sip.

John was looking at Sherlock with even more suspicion than ever.

"Well, its late," Charlie said standing up. "Do you want me to stay and sleep on the couch?" he asked Sherlock, avoiding Kylie's eye as she took another drink of her tea, "It cant hurt to have someone else on the lookout for that bastard."

"Uh," Sherlock said, "No."

Charlie looked slightly hurt before John turned to him, "He means thank you for your offer."

Charlie smirked at John's expression he was still currently giving Sherlock.

"Well, I'll be off then," Charlie said.

"I'll walk…" Kylie began as she stood up and swayed, "Whoa…"

Sherlock stood up and plucked her tea out of her hands as she swayed.

"Oh my God," Mary said, "What the hell happened?"

"Idont…." Kylie slurred as she blinked repeatedly before her eyes closed and she crumpled. Sherlock caught her on her way down to the floor.

"What the hell?" Charlie gaped in shocked.

"You drugged her didn't you?" John asked Sherlock as he set Kylie on the sofa gently and grabbed a blanket, covering her up from the cold.

"With the sleeping syrup I gave you for her shoulder," John inquired, "You were supposed to use that when she couldn't sleep due to the pain Sherlock!"

"You drugged your girlfriend?" Charlie asked, "Well, I would have liked to have drugged her a couple of times while we were in the field, so I feel you man."

Mary shot Charlie a glare for her friend.

"She needs to sleep, you said it yourself," Sherlock defended himself. "She doesn't want to sleep. She doesn't want to remember what that bastard did to her."

John looked at his friend, he was right, he was completely right.

"Let us know if you need anything," John said as he grabbed his jacket and ushered Mary out the door along with Charlie.

The door shut behind them and Sherlock looked at Kylie sleeping peacefully before turning back to the files and figures spread out on the table. He needed to right this, to end Thomas for good before anyone else was hurt.

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	57. Chapter 57

**Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed! Seriously I love you guys! I've been super stressed out due to school and moving and you guys have made it a lot better! So thank you!**

**ChelGallifreya: you will see!**

**And because I forgot to say it last time, Victorious Penguins, I am not a serial killer, I promise. I know that I definitely come off that way, but I just have a huge interest in it. I promise you I am not **

**Here's the next chapter. It wasn't until after I wrote it I realized how angsty it was**

**Get ready for Angst fluff!**

Sherlock sat at the table next to the couch deep in thought. He had Kylie's gun next to him as he looked over the files. He swore to God that if Thomas set another foot in Baker Street he would put a bullet in him…. well, maybe a couple…and throw him out the window…. and beat him to a pulp…then maybe throw him out the window a few more times…

Sherlock closed his eyes and shook his head, he needed to focus. He glanced at Kylie. She was still sleeping on the couch, though it wasn't as peaceful anymore. At around one in the morning she had begun shifting around on the couch. Kylie was usually a peaceful sleeper. She rarely moved, but now it looks as if she couldn't get comfortable.

He couldn't worry about her now, he needed to work. He looked back at the Interpol file that was open in front of him. Thomas had definitely done his homework. His back-story was flawless. It was if Steven Moore truly had existed. He had degrees, hospital reports from when he was a child, tax returns, W-2s. Sherlock messed his hair in frustration. There had to be a hole in the story, there had to be. He had to make this go away.

"No…"

Sherlock turned and looked at Kylie. Her face had changed to one of fear.

"Stop it, get off me," she said as she began to squirm.

"Kylie," Sherlock said as he went over to her side and tried to wake her gently from her dream.

"Thomas stop…" she said as she began to fight Sherlock's touch.

"KYLIE!" Sherlock said as he felt adrenaline being released into his veins as she flailed even more.

"STOP!" Kylie yelled as she sat up, her fist contacting Sherlock's face, knocking him on the floor with the unexpected hit.

Sherlock shook it off quickly and sat up only to find Kylie sitting in the chair he had been in only a moment ago holding the gun towards him. His heart dropped. She looked scared out of her mind. She was just coming out of her dream and back to reality.

"Kylie," he said calmly.

Kylie looked at him in a new way. Her fear past and confusion covered her face before she realized she was pointing a gun at him and dropped it in horror. Panic took over as she realized what had happened.

"Oh my God…" she said as she covered her hands over her mouth in shock at what she had done.

"Oh my God…" She said again as she shrunk back into the chair as if she were afraid of herself.

"Kylie," Sherlock said softly as he saw her began to shake more violently than ever.

"I'm so sorry," Kylie said shaking her head at him, "I'm so sorry Sherlock."

"You're okay. Its alright," he said as he slowly approached her.

She shrunk away from him, "Don't," she told him, "I don't want to hurt you. I didn't want to sleep. I knew this would happen."

Sherlock didn't have a chance to stop her before she ran out of the flat, shaking so badly she could barely get the lock undone.

**%#$#*&#**

John groaned as his phone rang. Mary lifted her head from John's chest as he rolled over and looked at his phone with squinted eyes.

"Who is it?" Mary asked tiredly as she snuggled back into her fiancé.

"Sherlock," John said as he picked it up and rubbed Mary's back, pulling her tight to him.

"Sherlock?"

"John," Sherlock said in a slight breathless voice, putting John on full alert, something was wrong.

"What's wrong Sherlock?" John asked.

Mary put a hand on his chest and sat up looking at him with concern.

"Kylie," he told him breathlessly, it sounded as if he was running, "She had a dream and she…. she's gone."

"What?" John asked, "What happened?"

"She just left John," Sherlock said his voice filled with a slight panic only John would notice, "I cant find her."

"Why did she leave?' John asked as he got out of bed and began getting dressed while still on the phone, Mary doing the same.

John heard Sherlock take a deep breath; he could tell he really did not want to tell him.

"Sherlock?" John said, urging him to tell him gently.

"She was having a dream, re-experiencing what Thomas did to her. She thought I was attacking her when I was trying to wake her."

"What'd she do?" John asked.

"She thought I was Thomas, she was still dreaming."

"What happened Sherlock?" John asked. He needed to make sure that he wasn't hurt.

"She hit me and pulled a gun," Sherlock snapped at him, "Now will you help me find her or not?"

"She pulled a gun on you?" John asked causing Mary to freeze in shock as she put on her shoes.

John could just see Sherlock on the other end of the phone shutting his eyes in a mixture of anger and annoyance.

"Look where are you? Mary and I are on our way to help you alright?" John told him quickly before he hung up on him.

"I'm looking west of Baker Street, you and Mary take East."

"Where would she have gone?"

**&#$^#)3**

Witham walked out of bed looking at the clock as he walked by it, 3:30 in the morning. Who in the hell was at the door?

"What?" he asked tiredly as he opened the door to see a scared and shaking Kylie who was biting her nails down to the nail bed so far that they had begun to bleed.

"Dr. Gibbs?" he asked in shock. Never in a million years would he have thought that a woman, so strong, so stubborn could break down like this. Though he had seen the beginning of it in Lestrade's office that morning, she really was having a psychotic break.

"I'm losing it Witham," Kylie told him in a small voice that broke as she spoke.

"Come in," Witham said pulling her into the house and tying his dressing gown around him before shutting the door behind her.

Kylie stood there shaking and looking around the small flat timidly.

"Sit down," Witham said gently. He was very worried about this woman. He wanted to help her, he had for a while. He had gotten her to trust him for a short time when she broke her barriers when her and Sherlock had been broken up. But since she had left for San Diego and gotten back together with Mr. Holmes, her barriers to psychology and to him had been put back up. He didn't believe the fact that he had brought up skeletons had helped this fact either.

Kylie sat down in a chair and immediately brought her knees to her chest, hugging them to herself out of comfort.

"What do you want to talk about?" Witham asked her softly as he sat down across from her.

"I'm not crazy Witham," Kylie said softly as she shook, "I'm just…"

"I don't think you are crazy," Witham told her sincerely, "I just think the stress of this event is greatly affecting you."

Kylie sat there in debate of continuing, "Thomas, he swapped the man he killed's DNA with his in the record. That's why the DNA test came back positive as him." She paused, "I'm not crazy. Thomas is out there and he's coming after everyone I care about."

"You are worried about what he is going to do to them," Witham said.

"I'm worried about what I am going to do," Kylie said quietly.

Witham looked at her with concern, something had happened.

"What do you mean?"

Kylie ran a shaking hand through her hair before hugging her knees even tighter to her body.

"I don't know how I fell…." Kylie began before shutting her eyes as she realized what had happened, "the tea…"

Witham looked at her with confusion, "The tea, he drugged my tea," Kylie said with anger and disbelief.

"Who? Thomas?"

"No Sherlock," Kylie said, "They all wanted me to sleep. I didn't want to… I knew it would happen. They are always more vivid when I sleep."

"What are Kylie?" Witham asked calmly as he watched her escalate. He needed to get her calm before she evolved into a fully psychotic break.

"The dreams…." Kylie said as she began to cry.

"What dreams?" Witham asked.

"Where he's…. he's…just all over me. I can't get him off. I couldn't get him off."

"You are having flash backs?" Witham asked as she bit her nails even further.

Kylie nodded as she folded more and more into herself.

"You said that you didn't want to hurt anyone else" Witham asked gently, "Do you consider yourself a threat?"

"I hit him Witham," Kylie said as tears began to flow and she began to rock slightly in the chair, "I hit him and pulled a gun."

Witham's heart dropped into his stomach, "Who? Who did you hit Kylie?"

"All he was trying to do was wake me up. It was a dream and I thought it was happening…"

"Who? Mr. Holmes?"

Kylie nodded and cried harder, "I could have shot him. I could have killed him."

Witham's heart broke for her. He had counseled rape victims before, and each case was different, but to him, it looked as if she had healed completely from the damage Thomas had done to her mentally. She had been able to engage in intercourse in a…somewhat healthy relationship. To most psychologists, that was the sign that a rape victim had moved past the trauma. But when Thomas escaped, those wounds had been ripped wide open.

He knew that she had encountered Thomas a couple of times after her first initial rape, and none of these times had she ever reacted like this or ever experienced a flashback. She was scared, scared for herself, scared of what she would do to others, she was not in control and for someone like her, that was her biggest fear of all.

"I don't know what to do Witham," Kylie told him.

"I'm going to speak with Dr. Watson, see if he can prescribe you some anti-anxiety medication," Witham said softly, "And I think I may need to start seeing you daily. I can help you, you just have to let me."

Kylie sat in the chair shaking as she debated it in her own mind.

"I don't want to hurt him," Kylie said looking at Witham.

"I know you don't," Witham told her, "I want to help you regain control on your life. Regain the control Thomas took from you."

"I don't want drugs," Kylie said after a moment.

"The drugs will help…"

"I don't want them."

There was a knock on the door…well rather a banging.

Kylie's breath quickened at the noise. She was jumpy; the last thing that she needed right now was a loud noise to scare her.

"Its okay," Witham reassured her as the banging continued.

Witham opened the door only to be shoved to the side as Sherlock pressed his way into the flat. Witham saw John and Mary look at him apologetically as they walked in after him.

"Kylie," Sherlock said as he bent down in front of her chair.

Kylie looked at him and began to cry harder and she spotted the dark bruise that was beginning to form on his cheek.

"I'm so sorry," she said as she hugged her knees tighter to herself.

"Are you alright?" Sherlock asked her as he placed a hand softly under her chin, using his thumb to wipe a stray tear.

"I could have killed you," she said, "Why did you drug me? I didn't want to sleep. I knew I would hurt you."

"You needed to sleep," Sherlock told her.

"You didn't need to drug me," Kylie told him angrily, "I need to trust you, not think you are going to drug me."

Sherlock was taken aback by her overreaction to being drugged.

"I can take care of myself. Or am I too crazy that you don't trust that?"

Witham looked at her with wide eyes, this wasn't good. She was flipping from scared to anger rather quickly. That could only lead to rash actions.

"You aren't crazy," Sherlock told her with confusion. She was scared and now she was scared and angry…with him…

"I didn't want to sleep Sherlock," Kylie told him. "I should have left. I should have ran…"

"I'm sorry," Sherlock told her as he grabbed her hand, "Forgive me."

Everyone in the room stared in shock. Never in a thousand years would they have thought they would hear an apology that sincere come out of Sherlock's mouth.

Kylie just looked at him as he laid his other hand on her leg while his thumb stroked her hand.

"I am sorry," Sherlock told her, "I promise you, I will catch him. He wont ever hurt you again."

Kylie looked at him and felt the wound on his knuckles he had gotten earlier that day. She looked down at it and rubbed her thumb soothingly over the red angry skin surrounding the wound.

The wound was a sort of symbol of the fact that she knew the man in front of her; the man she loved with all of her heart would protect her.

She nodded before setting her legs on the floor and sliding off the chair into Sherlock's arms.

Mary, John, and Witham saw Sherlock shut his eyes in relief as he obviously forgot about them in the room as he held Kylie as tightly as he could to his chest without suffocating her.

Witham gaped at the pair, he had NEVER seen this sort of interaction between the two of them, and truthfully, he never would have expected it.

They watched as Kylie pulled back and ran a hand through his hair and down to his cheek, lightly touching the spot that she had hit as they began talking quietly as to not be overheard by the others in the room.

"Is she going to be okay?" John asked Witham.

Witham sighed and looked at him, "Eventually yes. I told her she needs and anti-anxiety medication and therapy. She would only agree to the therapy."

"That's a miracle to begin with," Mary commented as she watched Sherlock help Kylie up off the ground.

"Where are you going?" Witham asked.

"Home," Sherlock said as he took off his coat and put it around an objecting Kylie's shoulders, not sure if she was shivering or shaking from the cold.

"Dr. Gibbs and I need to talk," Witham stated.

Sherlock turned and gave Witham a murderous look.

"You are not involved in this," Sherlock growled at him as he prevented Kylie from shoving the jacket off and giving it back to him.

Witham stood his ground, "I just want to help her. She came to me for help."

Sherlock felt her hand on his chest. He looked down at her.

"He wants to help me," Kylie told him, "And I'd rather sit through therapy than hurt you. I need help."

He looked at the woman in front of him. She was scared and broken, he knew that. She felt as if she wasn't in control of herself. The majority of him wanted to tell her that therapy would never help her, but her looking at him, with those eyes and her broken expression pleading with him, he just nodded reluctantly.

Witham smiled, "I'll come by tomorrow," he told her.

Sherlock glared at him as he once more placed the coat back on Kylie's shoulders before walking out the door closely followed by John and Mary.

**Sorry it's been so angsty lately guys. But I feel that I need to touch on Kylie's struggle with what Thomas has done to her. She has been so strong for so long and I just think that realistically, she would break down at some point. **

**I promise THE ANGST WILL STOP.**

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	58. Chapter 58

**A HUGE Thanks to all of my AMAZING reviewers! Seriously, 600 reviews….I love you guys.**

**RainbowAssassin: Haha, most people feel that way about him. And I have to say, that is one of the most perfect descriptions of Thomas I have ever heard.**

**Thegirlwiththebrowneyes: Sorry! It will get happier soon!  
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**ChelGallifreya221B613: Yeah, they have been through a lot haven't they?  
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**Gwilwillith: Thanks so much! Really that means a lot~  
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**OptimisticLivvy: You know Kylie is desperate when…**

**NaturalbornSyltherin: Thanks so much! That really means a lot! And I'm sorry, it will get happier one day!  
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**Djbirdywantstofly: Thank you my dear! I hope you do!  
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**A huge thanks to X-poisonCherry-X, and Ahsilaa for their reviews also!**

**Here's the next chapter! It's slightly fuzzier….**

Kylie just sat in the living room, staring blankly at the floor. She had woken up almost twenty-four hours ago, not having a care in the world. She had a great job, she got to wake up every morning next to the man she loved (when she could actually coax him to sleep), she had great friends, and all in all her life was a dream.

She didn't know what happened, what came over her to make her lose it like this. She knew what had happened to her, there wasn't a day that went by that she did remember that, but it had never affected her this badly. Plus it did not help that the psychopath who did it to her was on the loose once more.

She felt Sherlock next to her place a hand on her thigh in comfort as he read trough the file on Thomas for the umpteenth time that night. The sun was starting to rise; neither had slept since they had gotten back from Witham's.

Kylie smiled slightly as she covered his hand with hers in thanks. Sherlock was trying his best to be as supportive of her as possible. Kylie knew it was more difficult for him with others around, but Kylie appreciated it all the same. Even though he hadn't looked at her, when he did it, it seemed almost more sincere to Kylie.

Most people thought that Sherlock Holmes was just inept when it came to emotions but Kylie knew that that was the exact opposite of what he was. Kylie had seen him act as Jonathan Witham, the ladies man and charming businessman he played when he went undercover most of the time. He isolated those emotions and was able to convey them flawlessly when he wanted to. He was well aware of emotions and knew all about everyone one of them, but he just hid it front he rest of the world.

Witham had touched on it before in their last session, but Kylie thought that his hatred for emotion and his talent of hiding it most likely came from his abusive home life. It made Kylie sick to think that his own father, who was supposed to love and cherish him, hit him for fun. Well, she didn't know if it was for fun, but if Sherlock was in and out of hospitals throughout his childhood, she knew that had to have been pretty severe.

It was just now that she was beginning to notice Sherlock reaching out to touch her more. It was beginning to be habitual. She highly doubted even now that he realized that he had his thumb rubbing softly on her leg. He'd even begun to be affectionate a little more in front of others. Granted, this was much different for them than it was for any other couple. Its not like he would throw her up against a wall in front of John and the rest of their friends, but it was little things. Like holding her hand, pulling her close, even sometimes going as far as hugging her. To others that seemed childish, but for Sherlock to show that in front of others was a gargantuan leap.

She looked down at his hand and at the bandage Kylie had wrapped around the wound in his knuckles. He really was one of the most amazing people she had ever met. He shut out his emotions, hated human interaction, and yet he was one of the most tender and caring persons she had ever had in her life. Though he wasn't tender and caring in the way that most people were, he was in his own way, his own light. Most people didn't understand it, but then again, most people weren't worth it to have in your life.

Kylie was brought out of her thoughts by a knock on the door. Sherlock's head snapped up from the file and looked towards the door. It was six in the morning...

"Wait here," Sherlock said as he picked up the gun and walked down the stairs to get to the door.

Kylie waited with baited breath as she heard male voices talking at the bottom of the stairs. Sherlock was quiet; she couldn't hear his deep voice among the other slightly familiar whispers that we're floating up the staircase as footsteps began walking up the creaky staircase.

"Wow Ky," Tony DiNozzo said as he stood in the middle of her doorway donned in his usual attire, "you look like crap."

Kylie looked at him in confusion. Why in the hell was he here?

"I mean seriously? Have you slept in the last two weeks?"

Tony grunted in pain as the palm of her father's hand slapped the back of his head.

"Thank you boss," Tony said lightly as Gibbs walked towards his daughter, dropping his bag along the way as Sherlock appeared next to Tony, "I needed that."

"Dad?" Kylie asked slightly confused, "What are you doing here?"

"You think I'm going to let that dirt bag near you?" Gibbs asked as he bent down to hug his daughter. Kylie put her arms around him and hugged him before pulling away quickly and looking at him and Tony with wide eyes.

"Why in the hell did you come here?" she asked, earning a strange look from everyone else in the room, "Seriously? Thomas is coming after you guys and you just decide to come to him?"

"Let him," Tony told her, "That way I can rip that son of a bitch limb from limb."

"It's too risky," Kylie told them, "You shouldn't have come."

"Kylie I'm your father," Gibbs told her, "there's no way in hell that he is ever going to touch you again. I'm not going let that happen."

"Kylie!" a familiar female voice said as she ran into the flat and nearly taking out Tony and Sherlock on her way in, "Oh my God Kylie. Gibbs told me that that bastard escaped." Abby said quickly as she flung her arms around her and hugged her tightly while speaking at a million miles an hour, "I can't believe that he escaped! If I ever see him.. .And I will because Daddy Gibbs an Tony are all over it, and they always find their man, I will burn him from the inside out."

"Abby," Kylie said.

"I just found this combination of potassium chloride and hydrochloric acid that eats through body tissue in half the time that most acids do.."

"Abby," Kylie said once more.

"And when I see him I'm going to shove him in a whole tank of it alive and let that mother..."

"ABBY!"

Abby stopped and looked at her friend.

"I'm fine," Kylie told her, "I'm glad to see you and all, but why are you here?"

"She's here to help," Tony supplied, "We figured we needed a forensics genius to help put Thomas away for life so we brought you the best."

"That wont be necessary," Sherlock said as he crossed the room and sat down at his laptop once more.

Abby glared at him and Kylie sighed…. Here we go again….

Abby and Sherlock…. those two were definitely not a good combination. Abby had nearly ripped his eyes out the last time that they had been in the same room.

"I am fully capable and will be much more successful on finding any forensics that we need," Sherlock said as Kylie gave him a warning look, "We don't need amateurs."

"Amateur?" Abby said in a dangerous voice.

"Okay," Kylie said as she wanted to stop this before it escalated any further.

"You think that Abby is an amateur?" Tony argued ignoring Kylie's protests, "Seriously are you an idiot?" he then turned to Kylie, "Why are you still dating him?"

"I can assure you that I am not an amateur," Abby growled at Sherlock as she pushed her way past Kylie and towards Sherlock, "I have over five degrees and a PhD in chemistry. I have been honored by …."

"I should be impressed by the fact that you regurgitated information on a test?" Sherlock scoffed as Kylie rolled her eyes, this was not going to end well, "That's not impressive at all, in fact a trained monkey could do that. But no, you struggled with a few classes," Sherlock said as he looked her up and down.

"Sherlock, don't," Kylie said adamantly.

"So you slept with the teacher?" he continued anyway, "sex for an A?"

Abby lunged with him only to be stopped by Gibbs who pulled her back.

"OKAY!" Kylie yelled, not being able to take it anymore. "First of all," she began turning to Sherlock, "Abby is not an amateur. She is not Anderson. She is by far the best forensic expert I have ever worked with so you need to put your ego aside and let her help. Yes, you are good with forensics and chem, but Abby is just as good, allowing you to do something else. And don't pick fights please."

Sherlock opened his mouth to argue the fact that he wasn't before Kylie put a hand to his mouth, causing him to look at her with surprise.

"No, I know you did. You just wanted to show off and you know that when you do that it leads to an argument that either John or I have to fix. Though most of the time I find it highly amusing, please don't do it with the people I consider family."

Tony laughed and stopped suddenly as Kylie turned on him.

"And you," she said as she dropped her hand from Sherlock's mouth and walked towards him, "I am dating him because I love him. He is a fantastic man and I know that the two of you don't get along, but I would like you to respect that. He is definitely not an idiot. So, can we just please all put our differences aside and get along!" Kylie asked as she looked at everyone in the room.

They were all looking at her with a sort of shock except for her father who was smirking and began chuckling at how much his daughter reminded him of her mother at the moment.

Kylie sighed and ran hand through her mess of long curls before sighing, "Now, if you will all excuse me, I have to get ready for class."

"You're still going to teach?" Tony asked as she turned and began to walk towards Sherlock.

"Yes, I have a class full of kids who want to learn," Kylie said as she walked towards the desk.

Sherlock just sat there looking at her skeptically in silence.

Kylie smiled at him before leaning down and kissing his cheek, knowing what was going through his head, "I'll be fine," She whispered to him, "I need the distraction."

She trailed a hand from his chest to his shoulder as she walked past him and towards their room.

Tony stood there glaring at Sherlock, as any "big brother" would do when meeting their little sister's boyfriend while Gibbs smirked even more at Sherlock's confused expression from Tony's glare.

**^#^%#&*#**

"I can go to class by myself," Kylie complained as she hurried around the flat trying to get everything together.

"Just because you look a whole lot better, doesn't mean that you are fine Kylie," Tony said commenting on her now professional looking appearance.

It was true; the shower had made Kylie feel a little better. She knew the anxiety would return at night and after the class, but for now, Kylie had a distraction to take her mind off of herself and the fact that she had almost killed her boyfriend in her sleep the night prior.

"I can teach a class Tony," Kylie argued as she put on her glasses and her coat.

"DiNozzo is going with you," Gibbs told her pointedly, "You need someone with you at all times. The rest of us are going to get up to speed and try to find something to bury him with."

Kylie looked at her father, she knew there was no use in arguing, so she settled on sighing and pushing some of her hair out of her face before looking at Tony, "You ready then?"

Tony nodded and opened the door as Kylie turned back to look at them all, "See you guys when we get back then."

Sherlock frowned slightly as she walked out the door. This didn't go by missed by Abby as she smiled over the file she was currently reading on her laptop.

"Aw, someone's upset because they didn't get a goodbye kiss," she joked.

Sherlock glared daggers at her as Gibbs chuckled to himself before looking down and seeing Sherlock's bandaged hand.

"What'd you do?" he asked, not looking up from the file.

Sherlock turned his gaze to Gibbs.

"Your hand," he inquired.

Sherlock glanced down at his hand before pulling it off of the table.

"Accident," Sherlock said simply.

Gibbs chuckled, "Yeah, I'm sure that Thomas's face just happened to accidentally hit your knuckles?"

Sherlock smirked slightly as he read the file in front of him.

**&#^#(#&$**

"Good morning class," Kylie said as she entered the room with a grinning Tony.

"Who's he?" the eager girl Halley Brooks asked staring at Tony.

"This is a friend of mine," Kylie said as she pulled out her laptop and pulled up her slides, "He's just sitting in on the class today. He shouldn't be a bother."

Halley's hand shot back into the air, Kylie sighed…this girl was going to drive her up a wall.

"Yes, Halley?"

"Professor, I thought you were dating Sherlock Holmes?"

Whispers filled the class as Kylie began laughing.

"Wait, you think that he and I?" Kylie said motioning to Tony and laughing even harder as Tony frowned, "No. I am most definitely dating Sherlock, not that it is any concern of yours. This is essentially my older brother, very special agent Anthony DiNozzo."

"Do you work for the FBI?" A boy in the third row asked.

"No, NCIS," Tony said as he sat in the back corner of the class.

"What's that? The agency that collects taxes?" Trent Baker the cocky athlete asked.

"That's the IRS," Tony said angrily as Kylie snickered at him, "N.C.I.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service. And we are better than the FBI." Tony said before sitting down in his chair huffing slightly as he pulled out his phone.

Kylie smiled "Alright, that aside, today we are going to talk about identification markers."

Another hand rose in the air.

"Yes, Brian," Kylie said patiently.

"Sorry to bring it up professor, but are you alright?" he asked sincerely, "You look as if you didn't get any sleep last night and after you left yesterday…well, we all heard about the fire at the jail. It wouldn't be because of that would it?"

Kylie sighed and ran a hand through her curls, "Yes, I did leave because of the fire at the jail yesterday, and yes I am fine. I appreciate your asking. Now, can we get back to the lecture?"

The class settled into their seats as Kylie began.

**%#$#^#%**

"Tony," Kylie said as she kicked Tony lightly, waking him from his nap.

Tony snored loudly before jumping nearly out of the seat as he woke up to an empty classroom and Kylie standing there looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Class over?" Tony asked as he shook off the sleep.

"Yeah, you snored so loudly that I had to stop class at least three times and chuck something at you," Kylie told him as he got up, "Glad to know you think I'm an interesting teacher."

"Phys ed major," Tony said as they walked out the door.

"To this day Tony, I still have no clue how on earth you are a good agent," Kylie joked with a smile.

"It's all of my charm and good looks," Tony told her.

Kylie scoffed, earning herself a playful push from Tony.

**#%#$#& **

Sherlock glared in annoyance at Gibbs as he tipped back in the chair. Gibbs smirked as he did it. Abby smiled, he was obviously trying to throw the younger man for a loop. Abby leaned back as her laptop ran a search. They had been going through files looking into Thomas's past and trying to find a hole in Steven Moore's life to get rid of him and get Thomas back in prison. It had been silent most of the time and it was driving Abby up the wall.

Because she had been strictly prohibited from playing music, she had begun observing the pair of men in front of her. It was very strange about how similar, yet different they truly were. Sherlock happened to be much more anal and almost obsessive compulsive in an extremely messy, unorganized fashion. He was clean cut and seemed obsessive about personal hygiene. And then there was Gibbs. Gibbs was very different. He preferred jeans and old sweatshirts where as Sherlock preferred suits. Sherlock preferred science experiment, while Gibbs preferred bourbon and making wooden boats in his basement. The thing that they did have in common though, was their drive to catch the criminals. They were both brilliant. Sherlock more so in books, Gibbs more so in life and the way of being a cop, but they both shared skills of observation. Gibbs was just quieter about his observations than Sherlock was.

Abby's computer beeped bringing her out of her thoughts.

"What do you got Abs?" Gibbs asked as he got up and came around to her side of the table as she began typing furiously.

"So I was running Thomas's…well Steven's…. Well Thomas's medical records. There's an error."

"What kind of error Abs?" Gibbs asked quietly.

"You see, when you are checked into a hospital, they do blood tests, Urine tests, ect."

"The point?" Sherlock asked impatiently.

Both Abby and Gibbs glared at him.

"If Steven and Thomas were actually identical twins, they should have the same blood type since they have the same DNA."

"They are the same person," Gibbs told her.

"Which is why it is weird that the records show that Steven is type O negative."

"What's Thomas?" Sherlock asked as Kylie and Tony walked into the flat.

"Type AB," Abby said with a smile.

"Interesting," Sherlock said as he folded his hands in front of him in thought as Kylie removed her jacket and came over to the computer to see what they were on about, "Type O negative the universal donor, and type AB, the universal taker."

"The tests came from two completely unrelated people," Abby said, "Which means that both of the tests didn't come from the same person, or Thomas's supposed twin."

"We're dealing with an accomplice," Gibbs said, "Thomas has a partner."

**Review?**


	59. Chapter 59

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I seriously love you guys! For real! My final is coming up and I am busier than ever. Reviews make my day so much better!**

**Here's the next part! It's short, sorry….**

**Enjoy!**

"Is there anyone you can think of that Thomas would rely on?" Tony asked Kylie as she sat on the couch is a slight shock.

"No," Kylie said shaking her head, "I didn't even know Harringer's true identity until he tried to kill me as a Ripper victim."

"Great, so Thomas has an accomplice, is on the loose and trying to kill us all along with making Kylie's life a living a hell," Tony said sarcastically as he flopped down on the couch.

Sherlock glared at him.

Kylie shook her head as she racked her brain. She really couldn't think of anyone. When they had been together, Thomas had been secretive, didn't talk about work much at all. It had never bothered Kylie, the man worked for the CIA, everything was top secret.

"Pull his CIA file," Gibbs told Abby as he went into the kitchen to make coffee before stopping and staring at the severed head that was on the table.

Just then, Charlie came bounding in through the door, looking very different than he usually did. He was huffing slightly and his eyes didn't have their usual sparkle to them.

Charlie stopped upon entrance and stared at Tony and Abby, "What are you two doing here?"

"Helping!" Abby said happily as she got up and hugged Charlie tightly.

Charlie hugged her back looking slightly shocked.

"You alright?" Kylie asked him. She knew something was off. He never looked this disheveled or down.

"Yeah," Charlie sighed as he sat next to Sherlock who was deep in thought, "I got suspended."

"WHAT?" Kylie asked incredulously, "For what?"

"Well, I went in this morning and while I was discussing our predicament to Lestrade, guess who strolls in like he owns the place?"

"That rat bastard," Abby growled.

"Yep," Charlie sighed as he ran a hand over his face, "He came in and began talking and I just lost it. Apparently its against Yard policy to hit people who walk in claiming they just want to claim their own remains."

"What did he say?" Sherlock asked, his head snapping towards him, "His exact words only."

"Umm…" Charlie said thinking.

"We don't have all day, now what did he say?" Sherlock snapped as he turned his whole body towards Charlie.

"Sherlock," Kylie said trying to get him to back off of Charlie a little bit.

"He said something about how he was overjoyed to see me and asked how you were doing," Charlie told Kylie, "Then he said something about stress and how it can over load you, make you snap."

Kylie swallowed as Sherlock turned to look at her. They were the only ones in the room who knew what had happened last night, and that's the way they both wanted to keep it. But how Thomas knew, what a complete mystery.

"He then said something about how he hopes I don't choke on the truth before I lost it," Charlie said as Sherlock sat up straight.

"What?" Kylie asked him, not getting what he was on about.

"Ten little Indians went out to dine, one chocked his little self…" he began before Kylie finished the rest, horrified.

"And then there were nine."

"I'm going to be the first victim," Charlie said paling slightly.

Kylie got up and walked over to him slowly, earning a weird look from Sherlock as she bent down to hug him tightly. Sherlock felt jealousy rage through his veins…. well at least he thought it was jealousy. It was sort of an angry hurt feeling that he had as he saw his girlfriend hug this handsome muscular man beside him.

"I'm so sorry Charlie," Kylie told him, "I'll make sure he doesn't get to you."

He kissed his old-partner's cheek before looking her in the eye, "I'll be fine, lets just focus on catching this son of a bitch."

Kylie nodded and went to sit on the arm of Sherlock's chair before he got up suddenly.

"Excuse me," he said as he walked out of the room and into the bedroom.

Kylie looked after him strangely, what on earth had set that off?

She followed him immediately into the bedroom where she found him standing in the middle of the room beside the bed just staring at the floor.

Kylie walked over and placed a hand on his arm only to have him shrug it off.

She looked at him with concern. What in the hell had gotten into him, he never did that.

"What's wrong?" Kylie asked, slightly hurt that he had pulled away from her and shied into another part of the room.

Sherlock didn't answer.

"You are obviously upset with me," Kylie said trying to hold back her frustration and hurt, "I don't know why, and if I don't know why, I cannot fix it."

Kylie racked her brain and froze, this couldn't be about how she had pulled a gun on him last night…he had been so supportive….

"Do you not feel safe around me?" Kylie asked in a small voice, "I'm going to get the help, I'm seeing Witham later today. I don't want to hurt you."

Sherlock turned and looked at her, a puzzled expression on his face before turning back around. That puzzled expression meant that that was not the reason. Kylie gave a sigh of relief only to hear John in the back of her head.

That was it… A few weeks earlier, John had had a conversation with her about Sherlock, warning her about certain things that he had seen in his friend. Something they both knew he had never experienced on a romantic front.

She smiled and walked over to him, "You do know that you are the only man that I love. The only one I have feelings for."

Sherlock shrunk slightly, very slightly. He was like a child who was getting called out in the middle of the class.

Kylie walked over and put her arms around him, pulling her body flush to his back as she kissed his neck, "I'm not going anywhere. Charlie is just a friend. Granted he is a close friend, but he will never become anything more than a friend."

She felt Sherlock relax slightly as she kissed his neck a few more times, causing him to shiver slightly when she placed one in the sensitive spot in the crook of his neck.

He turned to face Kylie, causing her to loosen her grasp as he looked at her.

"You have nothing to be jealous of," Kylie said sincerely as she looked at him.

Sherlock just silently leaned forward and laid a kiss on her forehead before wrapping his arms around her tightly.

They were broken out of their comfort in one another when they heard a crash come from the other room.

Sherlock sprung apart from her as he rushed out.

"Stay here," he told her.

"Like hell," Kylie muttered before rushing out into the living room also.

She came out to see Charlie standing horrified in the middle of the room staring at something in his hand, a broken mug on the floor as the rest of them gaped also.

"What happened?" Kylie asked earning a glare from Sherlock.

"I told you to stay," Sherlock told her.

"Yeah, well I'm not a dog," Kylie snapped back at him before turning her attention to Charlie, "What is it?"

Charlie just looked at her, pale, "He must have slipped it in my pocket in the scuffle," he said quietly as he held it out to her.

Kylie walked over and saw what was in her hand, her breath caught in her throat as her heart sped up wildly.

"It's the engagement ring he gave you," Charlie said.

Kylie picked it up hesitantly, feeling all eyes on her. It was indeed the same ring that Thomas had proposed to her with. That same ring that symbolized all that they had together, their love, and commitment. She had accepted gladly, only to rethink her descion completely when he "accidentally" hit her that night, only to rape her a few short days later.

She heard the door shut and looked behind her. Everyone in the room was looking at her awkwardly as she noticed that Sherlock was gone.

Kylie shut her eyes, she hadn't told him….

Kylie dropped the ring on the table, grabbed her jacket and went to flee out the door after him only to have her father catch her around the waist, preventing her from going out the door after him.

"No Ky," he told her, "Let him go."

"Dad, I messed up, I didn't tell him about it," Kylie said beginning to lose control once more.

"Just let him go," Gibbs told her, "He needs to cool off about it."

"Dad, you don't know him," Kylie told him as she tried to get out the door once more.

"I know what it feels like to be in that situation," Gibbs told her.

Kylie froze and looked at him, "Mom was engaged before?" she asked quietly.

Gibbs didn't respond, letting Kylie know everything that she needed to know.

"Trust me, let him cool off," Gibbs told her before kissing his daughter on the forehead.

Kylie stood there and pulled out her phone seeing a missed call from Witham before texting John. Sherlock needed someone with him, and who better than his best friend.

Kylie walked over to the couch and sat down as the rest of them began discussing the case once more, while guilt and worry ate her from the inside out.

**Review?**

**P.S: Next chapter is going to be a little different if I can do it the way I want to…Just a heads up…**

**And sorry for more Angst…**


	60. Chapter 60

**Thanks so much to all of those who reviewed! I love you guys! Seriously!**

**Goldbee: I love writing Charlie! I'm glad some of you love him too! And I'm glad you like the angsty theme I've had going for a while.**

**Djbirdywantstofly: Thanks so much! That really does mean a lot! I write as a de-stressor, that's the only reason that I update so much…and hence why I am updating like crazy even though I have a MASSIVE test on Thursday….**

**ChelGallifreya221B613: I don't know if you got my PM, but yes… it is explained a little by Sherlock in this chapter! **

**Gwilwillith: I hope it's at a believable rate; I don't want to change him too much.**

**A huge thanks also to my anonymous reviewers and the girlwiththeborwneye, RainbowAssassin, and Dianalee Holmes for their amazing reviews also.**

**Here's a nice long chapter, because I couldn't sleep…and it's an idea I had in my head for a while. **

**THIS CHAPTER IS RATED M! …Its really not bad…. but because I scarred some people, I'm being safe. There's no smut…. but its just to be safe…. Just talk of rape and other things…**

**I hope you enjoy! Please let me know what you think!**

"Why am I upset?" Kylie asked as she tried to get comfortable in an unfamiliar chair, "Why do you think? Are you really that incompetent Witham?" She sighed and ran a hand through her hair shutting her eyes in pain. "I'm sorry. You are just trying to help me."

She took another deep breath before continuing; "I'm upset because my ex is on the loose and able to walk around like a free-man. I'm upset because I almost killed the man I love last night because I keep reliving my rape. I am losing control of myself and my mind, and the man I love is now where to be found because I decided not to tell him that I was engaged to said psychopath for the span of four days."

"Why didn't you tell him?" Witham asked her as they sat in his living room once more.

Kylie fought the urge to bring her knees up to her chest. She looked down and began to play with a loose string on the oversized cardigan she had changed into.

"I don't know," she said in a small voice.

"Yes, you do Kylie," Witham said gently, looking her in the eye, "You aren't going to heal until you confront these underlying issues."

Kylie looked at him. She wanted to regain control of herself, she just wanted to be in a normal relationship and let go of the baggage that Thomas had left her with. She just wanted to be with Sherlock, work her job, and enjoy time with her friends as they put dirt bags behind bars.

"I guess…I guess I was embarrassed," Kylie told him.

"Why were you embarrassed?" Witham asked.

Kylie just looked at him, "Who on earth wants to say that their fiancé was the one who raped them and they were too dumb to see that he would after he hit her twice and you brushed it off as an accident. Where, in all actuality, he had been fired and working for a criminal mastermind as a honest to God psychopath?"

"You aren't in the least bit dumb," Witham told her simply.

Kylie laughed, "Witham, after Thomas proposed he got mad at me the next night for getting home late and he hit me. He apologized and I forgive him. Why? To this day, I still have no idea, because the moment that he laid a hand on me, I should have been out of there. And an even bigger question is, is why in the hell did I still stay after he was a little too rough with me the next night."

"What do you mean 'a little too rough with you'?"

Kylie looked down at the ground; she hadn't talked about this with anyone.

"He um, was trying to jump me when I was making dinner. It started out playful, but when he literally slammed me against the wall so hard it made my head bleed and began choking me even though I told him I wasn't into the whole erotic asphyxiation thing."

"He choked you?"

Kylie nodded and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Yeah, I fought him off, but it wasn't until I had almost blacked out."

"You know your past is nothing to be ashamed of," Witham told her.

Kylie just looked at him, "Are you serious? Witham I am a World-renowned forensic Anthropologist. I am 28 years old and have had more published works and awards handed to me by the scientific society, more than even some of the most senior people in my field. And I am the youngest person ever to receive those sorts of honors. I got my PhD when I was 23. Most don't get that until they are 35 let alone begin to work the 835 cases that I have solved by my age. I have an IQ of 145, and yet I still stayed with a man who hit me and was surprised when he raped me!"

"You have an IQ of 145?" Witham asked.

"Einstein had an IQ of 160 and Sherlock has an IQ of 179, so it's not that impressive."

"You two discuss your IQ?" Witham asked in shock.

Kylie just looked at him.

"Sorry," Witham said as he got back on track. That was another conversation, "you were in love with him. You didn't want to believe that someone you had developed a deeper relationship with could do that sort of thing. Love has a certain way of pulling the wool over our eyes. It wasn't your fault and until you stop blaming yourself for what HE did to you, your are letting him win."

Kylie just looked at him with a sort of ashamed look.

"HE raped you Kylie, there was nothing that you could have done to prevent that. It was not your fault."

"I could have left Witham."

"The human mind grasps onto things that bring them joy, comfort. Thomas brought you both of those, just making him that much harder for you to let go. You are an emotional person, whether you accept that or not. And what makes you so good with victims' and victim's families is because you are caring, you always look to see the best in people. That's probably why you didn't run screaming the moment you met Mr. Holmes."

Kylie shrunk back into her chair even further at the very thought that Sherlock was mad at her. She did not want to lose him again.

"In no scientific and intrapersonal way should the two of you work as a couple," Witham told her, "Your intellects are a match for one another, but personality wise… the two of you are water an vinegar."

Kylie looked up at him curiously.

"Mr. Holmes is a high functioning sociopath. A person who is incapable of emotions, a natural born liar. Then there is you Dr. Gibbs. You are an emotional woman who took a childhood tragedy of losing your mother and sister and used it to drive yourself and care about each and every person around you as much as you could and never once question or judge their background. It wasn't until you were raped, that betrayal of deep-seeded trust that made you have trust issues, afraid to open yourself up. And yet you are dating a natural born liar who cannot match you emotionally?"

Kylie just looked at Witham, "You can use your science and what you believe to be truth Witham, but you know nothing about Sherlock as a person. You define him as a sociopath. He's not; he hides behind that to keep others out of his life that he doesn't want. He lets few people in, and if you are fortunate to be one of those few people, you can see what a truly human, human being he really is. He has emotions; he's not a robot. He just expresses it in different ways than others do."

Witham smiled at her.

"And that right there," he told her, "Is what you need to keep remembering. You have good in your life. You recovered from a traumatic attack quickly, which is why I think that it is hitting you so hard now."

"What if I chased him out for good," Kylie asked in a small voice.

"Is this about the engagement thing?"

"After last night, he was so supportive, so protective, he even got jealous of me hugging Charlie. But he just left….usually he sulks or throws a fit like a child, but never just run…"

"I'm sure that if you just talk to him, it will all blow over. The two of you have a lot of baggage between you, there are bound to be kinks to work out. Not to mention the fact that I have gathered this is Mr. Holmes' first romantic relationship?"

Kylie just stared at the ground before grabbing her purse and jacket.

"I have to go," she said as she walked towards the door.

"Dr. Gibbs," Witham said, causing her to turn around, "I'll see you same time tomorrow? And please allow John to give you some meds, they will only help you get over this."

Kylie just stared at him before opening the door and walking out.

**%#$& (**

Sherlock walked down the street trying to calm down whatever was happening inside of him.

He had already known about her engagement to Thomas when Charlie had mentioned it before. He had been angry with her at the time…well, not quite angry, but hurt, jealous that she had agreed to marry the man who raped her.

It made him wonder what on earth she had been thinking, made him rethink how love affected people.

He had been angry with her, up until the moment where he had found her on the floor of their flat, when the anger dissipated instantly, leaving it forgotten.

He had completely forgotten about it until the ring had shown up.

A ring, it was such an idiotic symbol, symbolizing the continuity and monotony of the never-ending circle. He didn't understand marriage. Not at all, it was just a legal document that lead most people into misery. He noticed it a lot, a woman would receive a lot of attention from the opposite sex, and in some case, the same sex, but once they had a ring, that attention usually went away and the woman usually wore and uppity or miserable look. He saw it since Mary had worn that ring happily on her hand. Granted, she didn't look miserable yet, but he knew after she and John were married, it was inevitable.

A ring, a simple piece of jewelry, seemed to get rid of male attention on a woman….

"Sherlock," he heard John say as his footsteps rushed towards him.

Sherlock shut his eyes in annoyance. How in the hell, had he found him?

"Sherlock, you okay?" John asked.

"Perfect," Sherlock said simply as he tried to walk faster, his long strides causing John to practically jog to keep up with him.

"Kylie texted me," John told him, "She's worried she just messed this up."

Sherlock's phone buzzed, as if on cue. He looked down at the text.

_I owe you an explanation, and an apology. Please come home. I kicked everyone else out._

_I love you, remember that please._

_Ky_

"She wants to fix, whatever you two got in to it about," John told him.

Sherlock ignored him and just kept walking.

"Look," John said grabbing Sherlock by the arm and forcing him to stop and face him, "Kylie is going through something heavy right now. She needs you to be there for her, not be pissed over her for being previously engaged. Yeah I get that she didn't tell you and you are pissed, don't argue that you aren't," John told him as Sherlock opened his mouth to argue, "Look, you love her. And when you love someone, you need to give them the benefit of the doubt. Just listen to her, forgive her and move past it."

Sherlock just stared at John before pushing past him and walking back in the other direction.

John sighed, praying to God that he had gotten through to his best friend and he was headed back to Baker Street. If he didn't, this situation was going to get a whole lot worse.

**& % * &**

Kylie sat on the couch nervously as she glanced at the clock once more. It had been three hours since she returned to Baker Street. He had been gone for hours, it was nearly dark outside. She was worried, she knew he was pissed at her; he had every right to be. But she was just praying that he was just wandering the streets of London and cooling off.

She hugged her knees to her chest and pulled Sherlock's scarf higher up on her neck. She didn't know why she was wearing it, but it smelled like him and for some reason the blue material made her feel better.

Kylie heard the door swing open as Sherlock stood there. He just looked at her as she stared back, hugging her knees tighter to her chest.

Sherlock just looked at her once more before removing his jacket and walking into the bathroom without another word.

Kylie sat there as she heard the shower turn on, not able to help herself feeling slightly hurt.

**^#%#$ **

Sherlock stepped into the shower and let the hot water run over him. He came into the flat knowing exactly what he was going to do, and once he had seen her, he completely forgot everything he had been thinking about throughout the day as he had wandered the streets of London aimlessly.

He let the water run over his face. He wished he could go back to when he didn't have these feelings for that woman. Life was so much simpler, but with them, he had never been…so…satisfied with his life. He had puzzles and cases before, but now he had something else, something greater than that, he had Kylie. As much as he wanted to deny himself that, he loved her. She helped him think, he felt as if he was drowning in chaos if she wasn't beside him. He didn't know why, he had lived for thirty years before she waltzed on into his life.

Sherlock sighed as he brushed his wet curls back out of his eyes. She didn't tell him she had been engaged… he didn't know what to think, didn't know why he was mad…but he was.

Sherlock heard the bathroom door creak open and he stopped. He heard a shuffling before the shower door slowly slid open and someone stepped in behind him. He felt Kylie's soft hand gently touch his shoulder blade and slide down to his hip and around to his stomach where she pressed her nude body to his back as her hand slid up his torso.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Kylie said quietly as she began laying soft kisses along his collarbone. "I was embarrassed that I actually agreed to marry that son of a bitch. We were engaged for four days before he raped me."

Sherlock slowly turned to look at her. She looked tiny; her hair was damp from the water of the shower as she looked up at him with her bright blue eyes. She was standing there naked, but it was as if even more of her was exposed than just her body.

"I was ashamed that I didn't leave him before. You were right, all of the signs were there and I was too ignorant at the time to see it. Being engaged to that monster was something that I would rather forget. That's why I didn't tell you."

Sherlock just stared at her blankly.

Kylie felt tears beginning to well up once more and she tried to push them away. This was it, this was the end. He was going to push her away again; they were going to break up again. She was going to lose him.

He reached out for her and brushed her hair back before leaning towards her and kissing her tenderly. Kylie felt emotion and relief hit her light a freight train. She couldn't even describe the emotions that were causing her heart to fell as if it were swelling and about to burst in her chest as she put her arms around him.

The kiss slowed to a stop as Kylie felt herself crying. She hoped that the tears would blend in with the water, she was sick of crying.

Kylie shut her eyes as she felt Sherlock press his forehead against hers. More tears of joy and emotion came to her as he did this. She was the one who did that to him when she couldn't contain the emotion that she was feeling. He had never been the one to instigate a moment as intimate as this one felt.

Kylie opened her eyes to find Sherlock's eyes were shut as his forehead remained on hers. She brought a hand up to cup his cheek as she kissed him once more, hoping to convey every feeling she had for the man to him in that single kiss.

Sherlock's hand embraced her, feeling the comfort of her soft skin.

Kylie pulled back and they just gazed at each other for a moment before Kylie reached down and picked up the bar of soap. She gently began to lather it up and wash him gently. It was an act so simple, yet so…intimate.

Her hands gently caressed his body as she washed off all of his doubts, questions, anger with her off of him laying kisses as she did, making them disappear forever down the drain.

Sherlock took the soap from her and began to repeat the act on her. He felt her shaking slightly as he could see her try to push the flashbacks out of her mind. He made sure not to make her think he was looking for anything else but a shower. He just gently caressed her skin as he washed the suds off her body kissing her before dropping tender kisses down her neck in almost an apology. Her skin was so soft and she felt so small in his arms. He couldn't believe how Thomas could do what he did to her. She was the most amazing person he had ever met, it wasn't until now that he was sure of that, but she was. He didn't know how Thomas could have hit her. She was so kind, so caring, so intelligent, so..wonderful, and Thomas had treated her small frame as a punching bag. Not to mention do much worse things to her, the same things that were causing her to shake slightly in his arms as he pulled her close to him and let the hot water run over them as she held him tight.

He loved her, and he swore to God that Thomas would pay for what he did to her, for why she was shaking, for why she couldn't sleep, for why she was scared of herself. He would pay, if it was the last thing that Sherlock did.

**Please let me know what you think! Good and Bad!**

**Review?**


	61. Chapter 61

**Okay, so here is what I have decided guys. I am going to try my best to reply to most of you via PM if there is a question in the review or if I just HAVE to tell you something about what you pointed out. Its just easier with my sched because I want to thank you all, but whenever I finish a chapter, I find I don't have the time to thank all of you. So…check your PM's from now on if you would like to read a response…I wouldn't blame you for not.**

**Anyhow, a MASSIVE Thanks to all of you who reviewed! For real! I love you guys!  
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**Goldbee: Aww.. you're sweet! I'm glad you guys have taken a liking to Kylie…I kind of like her too **

**DJbirdywantstofly: yeah I had to google IQ's and I figured it was pretty accurate for him. He is absurdly smart. And yes….you would be correct about my updating…hahahaha**

**Oreal770: I PMed you about this, but I 100% agree with you. And yes…about Mary too. **

**OptimisticLivvy: That's a freaking awesome gift…now only if it came with Benedict….**

**ChelGallifreya221B613: Thanks so much My dear! You give me way too much credit!  
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**RainbowAssassin: that he is…and he has no idea how cute he is. I hope it is realistic though! Please let me know if its not!**

**A huge thanks to Gwilwillith, thegirlwhoimagined, thegirlwithbrowneyes (Have a good trip!), and Guest for their reviews! They mean a lot!**

**Also I am thinking of making another spin off, that I would update…whenever I had an idea. It would be about Kylie's rules. Gibbs has rules and so did her mother, so Kylie should have some too. **

**AND IF YOU WANT AN UPDATE ON COUPLE'S COUNSELING, I NEED PROMPTS!**

**I am dead out of ideas for that right now…so please let me know what you think about that spin off, or have any prompts for either!**

**Enough said, heres the chapter!**

Kylie sighed as she snuggled deeper into Sherlock's chest, trying to keep her wet hair from making him cold. His hand traveled up and down her back as they lay on the couch together deep in thought.

Kylie pulled the oversized sweatshirt she had on more snugly around her as to surround herself in warmth as she drew circles on Sherlock's bare cheat as they both thought. She knew Sherlock's mind was on the case at hand, where is should be, but she couldn't help but let her mind wander to that of the man with his arms around her.

She didn't know what she had done to deserve such an amazing man, she really didn't. How had she, and ordinary woman, pulled Sherlock Holmes into love and romance when he had lived his entire life, knowing that they did not exist? How had she gotten him, the same man who did not like human touch, to hold her like this, to be so tender? The same man, a virgin by choice, who had never had any interest in sex, to make love to her dozens upon dozens of times? It was simply amazing to her. He was still the same person he had been when he walked into 221b covered in pigs' blood and deducing her upon their first meeting, he was just more tender. Little had she known that the man she had thought to be a serial killer the moment she had laid eyes upon him covered in blood and holding a harpoon would be the same man that she fell hopelessly in love with.

Kylie closed her eyes. She felt so safe with his arms wrapped around her as they lay on the couch in sweats. It was amazing to her that Sherlock was laying here without a shirt on, which was strange. Anyone else in their own home would feel comfortable lounging around without a shirt, but not Sherlock. The only time he wasn't wearing a shirt was when he was showering or Kylie took it off him herself. He was gorgeous, period end of story, but there was something about him without a shirt that mad Kylie go crazy. When she was dating other men, sure they had been fun to look at without a shirt, but that didn't even come close to what a shirtless Sherlock did to her. It was that, when he wore glasses, and that damn purple shirt... Those three things did things to her... God forbid if he wore glasses while either shirtless or in the purple shirt. She would most likely jump him on the spot, not giving a dam about where they were or who was around.

His hand stroked through her damp hair as smiled against him. It was rare that they had moments like this. Well, there was the fact that they were all being threatened and the fact that Thomas was out there once more with an accomplice...she shouldn't be enjoying this, she should be worried. But Kylie had been worried and sad since the moment she set foot in Pentenville prison, so she allowed herself the luxury of just a quiet moment. No thought of rape, no thought of Thomas, no worry, no anger, no fear. Just her laying with the person closest to her heart.

The door burst open and John, Lestrade, Charlie, and Mary came waltzing into the flat. Kylie cracked an eye open at them as Sherlock glared at the ceiling.

"Doesn't anyone knock anymore?" Kylie said not moving a muscle from where she was.

"Did you two shower together?" Mary asked with a smile on her face.

"Why aren't you wearing a shirt?" John asked, "Ew! Did you two do it on the couch?"

Sherlock glared at them as Kylie propped herself up and glared also.

"Okay, first of all, this is our flat. Meaning that we can do whatever we please on whatever we want. Second of all, no, we did not just have sex on the couch, not that it is any of your business. And third of all, if you are just going to barge in here, don't expect us to be clothed," Kylie told them.

"That'd be an early Christmas present if you weren't clothed and I walked in here," Charlie said with a smirk.

Sherlock sat up and glared at Charlie fully as Kylie chucked the nearest thing at him, which happened to be the union jack pillow.

"Okay ew," Mary said in disgust at Charlie as Lestrade smirked.

"Charlie if you ever do," Kylie said trying not to shutter at the thought of Charlie peeping on her, "I swear to GOD I will beat you so badly your face wont even be recognizable."

Sherlock was still glaring at Charlie with such hatred that John could have sworn laser beams were about to come out at any moment.

"Okay," Lestrade said breaking up the argument, "Can we get back to why we are here?"

Kylie and Sherlock both turned their attention back to Lestrade in interest.

Lestrade sighed, "So Charlie told me about the lead that your analyst found between the blood types. The only problem is, is that Steven is claiming it is a mistake in the records and we need a warrant to test his blood. And for a warrant we need probable cause."

"The fact that he IS Thomas isn't good enough?' Kylie asked.

"No offense Kylie," Lestrade told her, "But I don't think that your word will stand up in court when they find out you are being treated by a therapist."

Kylie gaped, "Witham told you?"

Lestrade shook his head, "No, it shows up on the expense report that I had to fill out since you are technically my employee."

Kylie looked down, slightly embarrassed. She didn't want people to know about what she had done the night before. She felt Sherlock's hand on her leg before she grabbed his arm, needing to cling onto something.

"Trust me, that fact will not leave this room," Lestrade told her reassuringly, "I just need to know, are you good?"

"Yeah," Kylie said quietly as she bent down, looking almost as if she were hiding behind Sherlock as she watched her hand run up and down his shoulders.

Sherlock shot Lestrade a glare before he turned around and began talking to Kylie quietly once more.

Lestrade looked at John, "Did Sherlock just glare at me for upsetting her?"

John grinned at him and nodded, "yeah, yeah he did. Never thought you'd see that did you?"

"Bloody hell, that woman is good for him," Lestrade muttered.

Sherlock got up suddenly and shot a glare at Lestrade once more before going into the bedroom and wandering out with a t-shirt, pulling it on.

"So we essentially have to disprove all of Steven Moore's background in order to make his disappear," Charlie said as Gibbs, Tony, and Abby walked in.

"Seriously?" Kylie sighed as she begun to get over the embarrassment of everyone knowing she was in therapy, "Can't anyone knock?"

"Kylie you got coffee?" Tony said as he wandered into the kitchen only to let out a girly scream.

Everyone turned to look at what Tony had screamed at while Kylie and Sherlock smirked and John just rolled his eyes before muttereing and plopping down in the armchair.

"YOU HAVE A HEAD ON THE KITCHEN TABLE!" Tony yelled.

"So…." Kylie said shrugging non-chalantly.

"Bloody hell Sherlock," Lestrade said as he walked back into the room.

"YOU HAVE A HEAD ON YOUR TABLE!" Tony yelled once more.

"Its an experiment," Sherlock told him simply.

"It's a severed head?" Tony argued as he gaped at the couple.

"Welcome to 221B Baker street," Mary said with a smile as she walked out of the kitchen to perch herself next to John, running her hands through his hair attempting to tame it from what the wind had done outside.

"This is awesome!" they heard Abby say from the kitchen with enthusiasm.

Sherlock just raised his eyebrows in shock, that usually wasn't what people said about his experiements.

"Are you testing the amount of saliva generated post-mortuem to create a timeline for time of death?" Abby asked Sherlock.

"We have liver temp for that Abs," Gibbs said as he took a seat in the living room.

"No," Abby objected excitedly, "you see with liver temp it is variable due to the outside environment and can give you a misreading due to the uncertainty of plus or minus one to two hours. If a way like this can be developed, it would quantify our ability to properly tell time of death."

Sherlock smirked at her, this amature was quickly becoming smart.

"I have been trying to convice Ducky to let me do this on a body for ages. Is this your first trial?"

"Can we get back to the non-creepy part of this case?" Tony asked trying desperately to get Abby not excited about severed heads.

"What part of Thomas isn't creepy?" Kylie muttered as she got up to make coffee. She needed to be sure she didn't fall asleep.

Kylie began messing with the coffee when her father followed her into the room and just stood next to her as she filled the pot with water and then filled the kettle, boiling it.

"We worked it out," Kylie told him quietly, knowing exactly why he was standing there, "he had every right to be mad at me, and he forgave me quickly."

"The two of you have to shower together to get to that?" Gibbs asked her with a smirk.

Kylie glared at him, "Why does everyone say that?"

"So you did shower with him?"

"Dad, you are the one who was alright with us living together."

"You still didn't tell me."

"Yeah but when I did, you all you said was 'good'."

"It is good."

Kylie looked at her father as she leaned back against the counter as the coffee brewed and the kettle boiled.

"Why him?" she asked, "You have wanted to deck every other one of my boyfriends, and yet you are okay with us living together?"

Gibbs shrugged, "Rule number five."

Kylie smiled, "You don't waste good."

Her father smiled and poured himself a cup before kissing her temple and walking back out into the living room.

Kylie smiled to herself before walking back out and looking at the couch that Sherlock had spread himself out on once more.

She just looked at him and raised an eyebrow. He sighed and sat up allowing her to sit down before he plopped his head back down in her lap. Kylie had not been expecting that and Mary, who caught it all, laughed at the bewildered expression on her face.

"Really?" Kylie asked with a small smile.

"You're in my way," Sherlock said settling on that answer as John and Lestrade gaped at him. He had never been this "touchy-feely"

"Okay, so I pulled Thomas's CIA file and it turns out he was into some pretty deep stuff," Abby said quickly.

"Start from the beginning Abs," Tony said as he sat down across from her at the table.

"So, I had McGee help me pull his pentagon file…"

"Wait, you hacked into the pentagon?" John asked in slight amazement.

Abby just flashed him a smile before continuing, "Thomas Moore was hand picked by the government after heroic events done with the Balitmore fire department."

"You know I worked with him a few times when I was working for Baltimore PD on murder arson cases…I should have seen through that bastard right then and there."

"What kind of events Abs?" Gibbs asked.

"Saving kittens from burning houses…"

"So like John then?" Kylie joked remembering the lies she had told Mary's parents about John a couple of months ago.

John glared at her, "You know that her father wants me to come and teach a class on Romanian art to his seminary and the orphanage?"

Kylie snorted with laughter as she began to play with Sherlock's dark mop of hair that was still damp from the shower.

"He even saved a couple of families, carried a disabled child out from a fourth floor walk up," Abby continued. "Anyway the CIA sent him to Columbia where our little crazy bastard earned a law degree and minors in Russian and German before beginning at the CIA. He worked a few minor cases, none too concerning with an older retired Colonel, though only older by a few years. His mentor accelerated through the rankings of the British military and was then recruited as a liason for MI5 and the CIA."

"So he had roots in Britian from the beginning," Kylie sighed.

"Unfortunately," Abby said before returning back to her computer screen, "He then began solo missions, the first acting as liason to NCIS and the FBI on the Strip Strangler case."

"Which is where we met," Kylie said as she played with Sherlock's hair unconsciously.

"And started dating," Abby added, "He then went to Russia…"

"Which is where he met our all time favorite consulting criminal," John added.

"And he got involved with the crime ring." Mary added.

"So we know that Harringer came from that era in his life," Charlie speculated, "Why cant we assume that his accomplice now came from that too if he met Moriarty there?"

"We can never _assume_," Sherlock said as his head snapped towards him.

"We should look into everyone," Kylie said, "Where is the British Colonel now?"

"Off the grid," Abby said.

"McGeek is tracking him down," Tony added.

The room was silent for a brief moment as they heard a muffled crash down stairs.

Kylie straightened up as Sherlock bounded off the couch, closely followed by John as they raced down to 221A.

"Mrs. Hudson," Kylie breathed before following them down the stairs.

Kylie burst into the flat to see Sherlock and John knelt over her. Kylie could hear her choking as she saw a broken tea mug and a can on the counter next to a freshly boiled kettle.

"She's in Anaphylactic Shock," John said as he looked around for an Epipen.

"What's she allergic to?" Kylie asked frantically as she saw her land lady's lips turning blue.

"No time," Sherlock said frantically as he handed John a pen, a bottle of whiskey, and a knife.

John just looked at him before setting to work.

"Oh God you're going to trache her?" Kylie asked.

"Says you who reinflated a lung using the same materials," John scoffed as he poured the whiskey over the knife, pen top, and her neck before apologizing briefly to her and making a small incision in her throat and inserting the pen lid, allowing for air to get to her lungs.

The color returned immediately to her as John began to calm her and Sherlock knelt down next to her too.

Kylie walked over to the can and opened it. Inside was Mrs. Hudson's herbal soothers along with a sort of dust. She looked at it curiously as the rest of the group poked their head into the small flat to make sure everyone was alright. Mary pulled out her phone and dialed the paramedics.

"Sherlock," Kylie said quietly causing Sherlock to get up and walk over to her, looking in the can also.

"What is it?" she asked.

"One choked himself and then there were nine," Sherlock recited to her.

Kylie looked at him, "I thought Charlie was supposed to be the first victim?"

"The story is all based on a red-herring. He's playing off of that," Sherlock told her before looking back at Mrs. Hudson, "Nothing in this game is going to be as it seems."

**Review? Please?**

**Happy fourth to all of my American friends! **

**And please let me know what you think of the spin off or have any ideas!  
**


	62. Chapter 62

**Thanks so much to those of you who reviewed! I love you guys! **

**My Physics final is tomorrow so I don't have time to thank you guys, but I may get another chapter up later…If I can procrastinate even more…**

**Oh and I don't know if British people eat peanut butter…I have no clue…so I made a rash generalization and in this universe, they don't….so sorry if you brits love your pbj's! **

**Anyhow it's short, but here it is!**

**Enjoy!**

Kylie sighed as she watched Sherlock pace the waiting room in the hospital. She sat next to Mary who was clinging herself worriedly to John. Mrs. Hudson had gone onto surgery to remove the trache that John had inserted and Sherlock couldn't seem to sit still. He was worried about her, Kylie could tell. Hell, Kylie was worried about her sweet landlady. It was her fault that she had been dosed with an allergy, but to Sherlock she was much more than a landlady. She was a mother figure to him. Other than Kylie, Mrs. Hudson was the only woman that Sherlock would protect fiercely. John had told her that before she had moved to London, the CIA had been interested in a case they were working and roughed up Mrs. Hudson in order to get to him. He had thrown said agent out of a window multiple times. Beating him as close to death as you could possibly get.

Kylie just looked at her boyfriend pace and wished there was something she could do to make it better. John wasn't much better than Sherlock. He held Mrs. Hudson near and dear to his heart. He was just staring off into space sadly while Mary attempted to squash down her own fear and comfort him.

Kylie felt useless. She wished there was something she could do to help. Help Sherlock, help Mrs. Hudson, help John, help Mary…. anyone.

Lestrade strolled into the ER looking just as worried.

"How is she?" he asked.

"No word yet," Kylie told him.

Lestrade gave a stressed sigh running a hand through his hair.

"Abby and Anderson determined that the powder in Mrs. Hudson's, extremely interesting and mostly illegal cup of tea was peanut dust," he informed them.

"She's allergic to peanuts?" Kylie said as Sherlock stopped his pacing.

"I didn't know that!" John said as Sherlock sighed loudly, earning a glare from everyone in the room.

"Its rather obvious! You've been in her flat! No nuts for baking, no peanut butter…"

"Kylie is the only person in Britain to eat that!" John commented.

"Hey," Kylie objected, "That stuff is delicious!"

"Children!" Mary yelled trying to get them to stop bickering.

The room quieted down as the doctor emerged from the ER.

"You lot here for a Mrs. Martha Hudson?" he asked.

They all stood.

"She will be fine with a little rest and ease. I'm afraid you wont be able to see her tonight as she needs to be under careful watch, but you may see her first thing tomorrow," the doctor informed them.

The group nodded as the doctor retreated back into the ER. Kylie walked over to Sherlock and gently grabbed his arm, talking to him quietly as they walked out of the ER, Sherlock grabbing her hand the moment they were outside the door. Lestrade glanced at John and Mary before following Kylie and Sherlock out to the street.

John sighed, and Mary gave him a sad look. She knew this was eating him from the inside out. Mrs. Hudson was like a mother to him, his own parents being dead for sometime. John just had his sister Harry, whom he tried his best to keep in his life, even though she gruffly refused to be in it. She was an alcoholic and getting her next drink was her biggest worry.

It broke Mary's heart to see that. John wanted to be close with his sister, he called her every chance he got, but she kept pushing herself out of his life. Countless times he had tried to get her into rehab to clean up her act, but she would either refuse, or just leave.

Sherlock and Mrs. Hudson had become his little family. Mrs. Hudson took care of the two friends who bickered like brothers. She treated them as if they were her own sons. It really was heart warming to see the two of them interact with her.

The woman had taken a strong liking to both Kylie and Mary, which according to Kylie, was a first. Mrs. Hudson had been sweet to all of John's other girlfriends, but to Mary, she was exceedingly heart warming and welcoming.

"You okay?" Mary asked softly as she brought her hand up to her fiancé's face, brushing her thumb across his cheek.

John nodded slightly, "Yeah, she's going to be okay and that's all that matters."

Mary leaned up and kissed him softly.

"We just have to go get this bastard," Mary told him as she interlaced her fingers with his. Mary was determined now. That son of a bitch had hurt her best friend, hurt an extremely kind woman, and now upset the man she loved…she wanted that bastard gone.

Mary felt John's arms around her, and the anger left her immediately as he pulled her into his strong chest. She felt so protected, so loved in his arms. She couldn't help but feel as if all of her problems had vanished as he held her close.

She sighed and held him close to her as she buried her head in the crook of his neck as his hand rubbed up and down her back in comfort.

"I hate this Mary," John told her quietly, "I hate that you are in danger. I hate that he is coming after all of us."

"We're going to get him," Mary whispered to him.

"If anything happens to you Mary…" he said as he stroked a hand through her hair. Mary looked at him, he was looked scared. Mary had never EVER seen John look this way. He had the courage of the soldier that he was and that never broke. She kissed him once more, trying to comfort him.

"Nothing will happen to me," Mary told him sternly, "I know you wont let it."

John kissed her forehead before pulling her into his arms again. He knew he would protect this woman until his dying breath, but his mind flashed to Sherlock. He knew Sherlock felt the same about Kylie as he did Mary, he couldn't even comprehend how Sherlock must be feeling. Thomas had just threatened Mary and he was scared shitless, he couldn't even imagine if it was Mary that Thomas had done all of those horrible, terrible things to.

John knew one thing, this bastard was going down.

**^#$ & $**

Kylie curled her knees under her as she watched Sherlock pace the living room. She took another sip of her coffee as Tony stared at her.

"I still don't get how you drink it black," he said as he made a face.

"Have you met the man who raised me?" Kylie quipped.

"Shut up," Sherlock said snapping, "I need to go to my mind palace."

Tony opened his mouth to speak before Kylie rolled her eyes.

"You lot had better get back to the hotel and get some rest," Kylie told them trying to usher them out as Sherlock sat in his arm chair and closed his eyes, "He's not going to be talking much."

Gibbs gave Sherlock a strange look before getting up and kissing his daughter, Abby and Tony following him out the door. Charlie and Lestrade just gave her a look before walking out of the flat once more. Kylie shut the door behind them and looked at her boyfriend. He was walking through his visual memory bank. She ran a hand through her hair; he would be at this for hours.

Kylie took another sip of her coffee and sat down at the table and looked at the figurines. She sat up a little straighter, that's not how she remembered them being.

Tony must have been playing with them….

She looked at them. They were all out of the chest and when she had left, they had been placed on the table randomly as they were all looking at them, but now, the figures were lines up. That wasn't the strangest part though, no, the strangest part was the fact that the figurine holding the bone was turned so that the bone in its hand was directly striking the oversized heart that was coming out of the chest of the figure with the deer-stalker.

That was curious. Kylie turned them apart, only to be bewildered by the feeling that they did not want to pull apart. She broke them and set them next to each other. The figures then on their own, turned until they were back in their original position.

Magnets? Why hadn't any of them seen this before?

Kylie began pairing other sets to see if there was an attraction between others, until she realized something…. Something much more frightening.

She looked wildly around the table, trying to calm herself. She looked in the chest…nothing….

The ring was on the table, but not what she was looking for. It was just like in the story.

Kylie looked at Sherlock; he was still wandering about his mind palace. It wasn't worth it to disturb him. He needed to find something, and this wasn't going to help him find it. Kylie decided to keep it to herself, but she couldn't help but to feel her body begin shaking again.

One of the figurines was missing, more specifically, the one holding the cup of tea…the one that represented Mrs. Hudson.

Thomas had been here….

**Any prompts you guys can think of, send them my way for couples counseling/ my new one, that I may or may not write depending on feed back!  
**

**Review? Pretty please?**


	63. Chapter 63

**LONGEST CHAPTER YET!**

**Yay! Haha this is what I do when I am stress…write three chapters instead of study for my final….good call…**

**Anyhow, thanks a bunch for all of the reviews! I wont be updating tomorrow or maybe this weekend ( I may shoot myself after this Bitch of a final) due to the fact that I am moving also.**

**So yeah, here's a nice long one for you guys!**

Kylie balled herself up on the couch once more as she started at the statues with fear. Her body was shaking uncontrollably once more. She felt violated, Thomas had been here. He had tainted her home. It was one thing when he had shown up while she was here, but it was another to break in and leave right afterwards.

He was messing with her mind. She knew that. She just felt as if all the progress she ha made with Witham that day, go out the window. She felt as if Thomas was everywhere. All around her. She gripped her hair. She wanted him out, she wanted him gone. She just wanted to live her life. She felt herself losing control once more. She needed to get a grip.

She tried to calm herself. She took deep breaths. That wasn't helping. She looked at Sherlock; he was still lost on his mind palace. She wanted nothing more than to just walk over and have him hold her, but she couldn't do that. She couldn't depend solely on him. She needed to be able to do this in her own. She needed his love and support, but she didn't want to be one of those girls who depended on their boyfriends for everything.

Kylie shakily stood up and quickly wrote Sherlock a note, placing it on the table beside the figurines, picked up her jacket, purse, and keys before quietly walking out the door, as not to disturb him.

Kylie walked out into the night. She brought her jacket tighter to her body. To protect her from the cold as she walked down the darken streets of London.

She rounded the corner and walked quickly towards Witham's. She hated having to depend on that kid, but as much as Kylie hated to admit it, her session earlier that day had helped.

"Hey baby," a man said stepping out if an alleyway. Kylie just kept her head down and walked faster, ignoring the man.

"Kales..." the voice said from behind her.

Kylie froze before spinning around. Thomas was leaned up against the alley wall grinning at her wildly in his Steven Moore outfit. Kylie felt fear over take her as flashbacks of him holding her down on the bed took over. She tried to stay strong, tried to push them out, act as if she was unaffected by his presence.

"Going out with any makeup on?" Thomas said tutting at her, "You really have let yourself go. Thomas said you always looked impeccable."

"You are Thomas you bastard," Kylie said seriously wishing she would have grabbed her gun and would be able to take care of this once and for all.

"I'm afraid you are mistaken Kales," Thomas told her as he approached her. Kylie could see the bruises from Charlie and Sherlock's rage. She pulled her phone out of her pocket.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that," Thomas said looking down at her phone, "Your boyfriend and friends are a little…occupied right now."

"What in the hell did you do?" Kylie said through gritted teeth, "This is between you and me you son of a bitch, leave them out of this. You didn't have to try to kill my landlady. What did she ever do to you?"

Thomas just laughed at her, "Oh you think that that really bothers me? The interesting part is that it bothers you. He always told me you were the bleeding heart caring type."

Kylie fought the urge to vomit as he touched her face tenderly. She was frozen as memories over took her.

"You miss me Kales…" Thomas whispered to her, "I know you do."

Kylie began shaking violently before she summoned all the strength in her body, reflexing to a move her father taught her as a teenager. Her knee went up sharply to connect with his groin before Thomas caught her knee, effectively blocking the blow. Kylie then moved to punch, but he caught her hand with a wicked smile.

"You always did like it rough Kales."

Kylie tried to hit him every which way, but Thomas blocked every blow. He was CIA, he was trained in hand-to-hand combat, much more than she was. She finally connected the heel of her boot to the arch of Thomas's foot before she took off down the street fleeing the scene.

She felt herself crying, she was shaking so badly that she couldn't even dial her phone.

A cab pulled up next to her.

"oi, Miss, you need a ride?"

Kylie looked over and let out a sigh of relief as she recognized the driver to be the kind man who had given her advice on the way back from the prison the day before.

"Oh, yes please," Kylie said as she hopped in the car.

"Rough couple of days miss?" he asked as they began to go towards Witham's as she texted her father, asking if everything was alright.

"You could say that," Kylie said as she wiped tears from her face, "Geeze, you only see me when I am in hysterics."

"We all have those times in our life Miss," the cabbie said sadly, "Trouble with men?"

Kylie laughed and shrugged half-heartedly through the fear, "You could say that. It's a bit more complicated than that I'm afraid."

"What relationship isn't," He joked.

Kylie shrugged and laughed half-heartedly once more. He was right.

The cab slowed to a stop as Kylie handed him the money, with a large tip.

"You really shouldn't be walking alone at this time of night Miss, you never know what will happen," the man told her as she waved at him and walked towards Witham's door.

Kylie took a breath trying to calm herself. She was still shaking terribly. Her text to her father had tons of miss-spellings and was barely readable, but it was the best she could send.

Kylie knocked and tried to stop the tears from flowing. That nice cabbie had helped calm her a little, but that last run in with Thomas had been the most fearful yet.

Witham came to the door and his face went from shock to immediate concern upon seeing her fearful state once more.

"Come in," he said immediately.

Kylie stepped into the flat and took note of Witham's odd appearance. His shirt was untucked and he was still in slacks as she stood there shaking.

"Are you alright Dr. Gibbs?" Witham asked, looking at her sincerely.

Kylie swallowed, "I just….i just saw him…"

"Saw who? Steven?" Witham asked.

"Its Thomas…" Kylie said as she felt herself shaking more.

That didn't go missed by Witham as he led her over to a chair and sat her down.

"Jonathan poodlebear," A female voice said as a young curly haired woman walked out into the room, pulling on her blouse, "Are we going… oh, hi?"

Kylie looked her up and down. She was young and peppy. Not the adorable peppy that men appreciated, no it was the annoying peppy that you knew deep down could turn to crazy bitch in half a second.

Kylie then realized what she had interrupted and got up quickly.

"I'm so sorry," she said as she used a shaking hand to wipe her tears, missing badly due to her shaking, "I didn't know you had company. I'll just go…"

"No, Dr. Gibbs," Witham objected, pushing her gently back into her seat. Witham's touch on her shoulder sent flashbacks racing through her mind making her nearly jump out of her skin.

Witham stared at her in shock, she had regressed quite badly.

"You need to stay," Witham told her, "Let me help you."

"You have a woman over," Kylie tried to object, pushing the memory back.

"Its okay," the peppy woman smiled. She was petite and had dark curly hair that compared wildly to Donovan's. Kylie had never seen her before, but her voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard, "I'll make some tea."

Kylie looked at her nervously; Witham could tell that she was shaking so badly. She was definitely freaked out.

"You just ran into Thomas?" Witham gently prodded.

Kylie nodded and pulled her knees towards her, before setting them back down, realizing she was not at home where she could do that.

"Did he threaten you?" Witham asked.

Kylie shook her head, "Not directly," she said quietly in a timid voice that Witham was not too familiar with, "He tried to touch me."

"You had flashbacks."

Kylie nodded once more.

"More severe than the other times?"

Kylie just sat there; she didn't have an answer to that. A flashback was a flashback; she didn't know how to determine the severity.

"He broke into our flat Witham," Kylie said quietly after a moment, "He poisoned Mrs. Hudson, put her in the hospital and broke into our flat to change the figurines and take the figurine that was supposed to be Mrs. Hudson."

Witham just looked at her confused.

"Mrs. Hudson was poisoned?" Witham asked skeptically. Was she really breaking down that badly?

Kylie began shaking began to get more severe as tears began slipping out once more.

"He's going after everyone I care about…. because of me. He tried to kill Mrs. Hudson, because of me."

"You are not responsible for his actions Kylie. You are in control."

"NO I'M NOT! Witham, I need to be. I need control."

"You can be Kylie, you have to remember that. He does not control you."

"I feel like he's all over me. I'm tainted, my flat is tainted. I feel like I'm trapped and I cant get out."

"Where's Mr. Holmes?" Witham asked, "Did he send you over here?"…that would be a first….

Kylie shook her head, "He's in his mind palace."

"He is at your flat?"

Kylie nodded.

"Did Thomas get in while you were there?"

"No," Kylie said quietly, "He must have gotten in while we were at the hospital with Mrs. Hudson."

"You said you feel violated?" Witham asked as the woman he had over handed her a cup of tea with a smile.

Kylie thanked her and tried to take the cup but ended up spilling it slightly on the hardwood floor of the flat. The woman took it from her and set it down on the table next to her as Kylie apologized.

"I'm going to leave the two of you alone," the woman said grabbing her things and planting an overly passionate kiss on an unsuspecting Witham's lips before grabbing her coat and walking out.

Kylie would have made a quip to embarrass Witham if the circumstances had been different.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your night," Kylie apologized.

Wow… she must be really having a break down...

"You said you feel violated?" Witham asked once more.

Kylie just sat there.

"Its understandable to feel that way," Witham told her, "he violated your body, and now you feel that he has forced his way into your mind, and your home."

"I want my life back Witham," Kylie said in a small voice, "I want to feel as if I am not going to pull a gun on my boyfriend."

"Are you worried about going back into intimacy with Mr. Holmes?" Witham asked.

Kylie dropped her gaze; she couldn't get herself to look him in the eye.

"You were raped Dr. Gibbs, its not an abnormal thing to fear intimacy."

"Witham we have been having sex," Kylie blurted out, "It's not like anything happened. I put what happened to me behind me and every time we did, that feeling of fear and violation got pushed farther and farther away."

"Having sex helped you?"

Kylie shut her eyes, that wasn't what she meant, "No, being that close with someone who I know would never do that to me helped. Not sex itself."

"You connect with Mr. Holmes on a much deeper level than you did Thomas?"

Kylie nodded.

"I thought I loved Thomas," Kylie said in a small voice, "That's why I agreed to marry him."

"You know think that you didn't."

"How could I have loved a man who did those horrible things?" Kylie shut her eyes and shook her head, her shaking was finally stopping, "Plus the feelings I feel now…"

"And what are those feelings?"

"With Sherlock?" Kylie asked as Witham nodded, urging her to proceed, "Happy, safe, secure, protected, loved, ….. like all of my problems vanish."

"You don't think that Sherlock would do the things that Thomas did?"

Kylie looked at him like he had lost his mind, "No, I know he would never do that."

"You felt Thomas would when you were with him?"

"I didn't know, but after it had happened…I guess it wasn't a huge shock."

"You feel secure with Mr. Holmes?"

Kylie nodded as Witham watched her whole body begin to relax, "I do."

Witham smiled, she had no idea how much she needed the dark-haired detective. Never in a thousand years would Witham have believed that Sherlock Holmes would be a rock of emotional support for the woman in front of him. They both needed each other. Kylie showed him how to come out of his shell and interact with people, where as Sherlock served as a rock for her. Showing her that not all men would hurt her.

"That, right there," Witham told her, "is what is going to get you through this."

Kylie gave him a strange look.

"You rely on Mr. Holmes for support. You need to lean on him."

Kylie shook her head, "This isn't his battle, its mine. I can't put that on him."

"Have you ever thought that he is with you because he loves you? Mr. Holmes has never been in a real relationship and yet he chose to open himself up to you."

"I know he does," Kylie told Witham, "But that doesn't mean that he needs to get this baggage."

"What happened to you is a part of you. You need to accept that. And Mr. Holmes still cares for you despite that. I believe he even went as far as to beat up Thomas."

Kylie sat there and stared at the floor. Witham was right.

"Your father and Special Agent DiNozzo along with Special Agent Edwards have a similar protectiveness."

Witham paused, "What I am trying to tell you is, is that you have a circle of people around you who care about you deeply. From what I hear, your father is a war hero. You idolize him. You have Dr. Watson, Dr. Morstan, Lestrade…all treat you like family and want to help you through this. You just have to stop keeping this all on yourself. Let others help you through it. Help doesn't make you weak."

**^$%#&*#**

"The island!" Sherlock blurted out and looked around for Kylie.

His eyebrows furrowed when he didn't see her. His heart dropped for a moment, it had only been about ten minutes…hadn't it? He looked at the time, it had been two hours.

Sherlock got up and spotted a note on the table.

_Sherlock-_

_Look at the figurines. One is missing. Thomas was here. I didn't want to disturb you. Went to go see Witham, I'll be back soon._

_Ky_

Sherlock frowned at the note. Why on earth hadn't she told him in person, and why in the hell did she run to Witham once more?

**# ^% *& **

Kylie knocked on the hotel room door. She didn't want to disturb her father, but she really needed his support and advice.

Tony opened the door holding a beer. Kylie looked at him curiously.

"Sorry, I thought this was my Dad's room," Kylie said to him.

"It is," Tony said looking at her, "you okay?"

Kylie looked like crap. Her bright blue eyes usually sparkled brightly. Her hair looked as if she had continuously run her hands through it like she did when she was stressed. Her eyes were bloodshot and he doubted that she had eaten anything in the last two days.

"Yeah, I will be," Kylie told him.

"Come on kid," Tony said as he ushered her into the room, "your dad went to go find coffee," he told her as he handed her a beer from the mini fridge and stared at her as she twisted off the cap and too a pull from the beer.

"You sure you are okay?" Tony asked in all seriousness, which for Tony was a miracle upon itself.

Kylie sat on the bed as Tony sat beside her. She began to pick at the label on beer.

"I don't know what to think anymore Tony," Kylie said quietly looking at him, "Thomas is coming after everyone I care about and there's nothing I can do to stop it."

"We can catch him," Tony told her.

Kylie shook her head, "He's got our hands tied Tony." Kylie paused, trying to compose herself, "I'm scared Tony. I'm really scared."

Tony pulled the beer out of her hands and set it down with his on the table before pulling her into his arms. She was his little sister; he would do anything to help her.

"It's going to be okay Ky," Tony told her, "I promise."

Kylie just hugged him tighter as her father walked in.

Kylie pulled away and wiped the tears away as her dad set down the coffee he was holding and went over to his daughter. Tony stood up and grabbed his beer.

"I'll see you two tomorrow," he said before kissing Kylie's cheek and walking out of the room to let Gibbs talk to his daughter alone.

Kylie reached for her beer and took another long pull.

"Kyleigha," her father said softly.

Kylie cracked a smile, "Am I in trouble? You only use my full name when I am in trouble."

"Ky."

Kylie began picking at the label once more before looking up at him.

"He's in my head Dad," Kylie told him softly, "He's in my head. I'm losing control of myself."

Gibbs just looked at her.

"I cant sleep Dad," Kylie told him as she pulled her knees to her chest, "Sherlock drugged me because he thought I needed the rest and I ended up waking up, punching him, and pulling a gun on him….I could have killed him."

Kylie took a shaky breath as she began to cry once more.

"I feel like he is all over me. He's in my head, and the worst part is is that he knows it Dad. He followed me out of my flat and taunted me in the street."

"He threaten you?'

Kylie just looked at her father, "he's trying to kill us all…"

Her father took her beer from her before pulling her to stand up.

"I'm scared Dad. I'm really scared," Kylie said as tears began to run down her face once more.

Gibbs pulled her into his arms and held her tight as she cried into his chest. She had lost it the moment he pulled her to him.

"You're too strong for your own good," he told her, "Just like your mother."

Kylie held him tighter. He just held her for a moment before pulling away and looking at her.

"He's not going to touch you," Gibbs told her.

"I don't want you to do anything rash Dad," Kylie said as her father stared at her, "I figured out what happened when you went to Mexico when I was twelve."

Gibbs looked down slightly; he didn't want his daughter knowing about that.

"I know why you did it, and I get it Dad. I know you would do anything to protect me, but I don't want you to end up breaking the law to do that. He's not worth you getting caught and going to jail."

Gibbs opened his mouth to respond when there was a pounding on the door.

Gibbs looked at it as he grabbed his gun and signaled Kylie to stand back.

He looked through the peephole as the pounding continued. He unlocked the door and let Sherlock in.

He looked at Gibbs for a second, almost as if to ask permission to enter before walking over to Kylie.

"What are you doing here?" Kylie asked him.

"You said you were with Witham," Sherlock said as he just stared at her.

"The figurines…" Kylie began.

"I know," Sherlock told her, as he looked her over, "you shouldn't have gone out on your own."

"I can take care of myself," Kylie told him.

Sherlock just looked at her.

"He was in our flat Sherlock," Kylie said angrily, the fear leaving her with the two men she loved the most in the room with her.

"I know," he said quietly.

"Why?"

"He's messing with you Ky," Sherlock told her.

"But why? He raped me, he beat me, he hurt me. What else does he want?"

"I don't know," he told her before pulling her towards him.

Gibbs watched the couple interact in front of them, both of them having forgotten he was there. He watched as the younger man kissed he daughter's temple and stroke her hair as he whispered to her quietly. Kylie then pulled back and rubbed his chest slightly before interlacing her hands with his.

He had never really been comfortable with some man with his daughter, but this man was the first that he had actually thought was good for his daughter. He made her happy, not like Thomas had. But she was genuinely happy and seemed at peace when he was with her. No one, even he couldn't do that for his daughter. A few moments ago, her world had been spinning out of control, and he had calmed it immediately as he walked into the room.

And that, was more than good enough for him.

**Review?**


	64. Chapter 64

**So Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed and thanks to everyone who wished me luck on my exam! I'M FREAKING DONE! **

**Elleari:**** I think you are one of the firsts ones to catch onto that part of the story! And yeah… I know…It was bad last chapter. I promise I do know how to use proper grammar; I just suck at typing and spell check screws me. And as far as Kylie and Sherlock bond… You will see my dear…it wont be for a little while, but I have a plan.**

**RainbowAssassin:**** Haha, that is true! **

**Oreal770:**** I'm glad that you enjoy John/Mary…there will be ore of them quite soon. I like writing them!**

**Optimistic Livvy:**** Witham and a girl…don't worry… that plotline will be expanded.**

**Holmesiswheretheheartis:**** Oh.. I have a plan for that…don't worry.**

**X-PoisonCherry-X: Tons of angst…it will get happy! I promise!**

**A huge thanks to thegirlwhoimagined, Gwilwillith, thegirlwiththebrowneyes, ChelGallifreya221B613 (I PMEd you!), and Goldbee **** for their reviews also!  
**

**I would also like to apologize for all of the sappiness that has been going on lately. I reread a couple of chapters and almost vomited from sappiness. I also apologize for grammar. I promise I do know how to speak English, and also write properly…. I just hate rereading and spellcheck sucks…**

**And lastly a question to my British readers…Do you guys eat peanut butter? No one commented on that…And I'm super curious. I live off of that stuff and I cant imagine a world without it.**

**Here's the next chapter filled with sappiness and angst….sorry…. It will get better…I promise…Just bear with me.**

Kylie and Sherlock sat in the cab on the way back to Baker street in silence. Sherlock was preoccupied thinking while Kylie just sat there pondering if she should tell him about her night.

"I ran into Thomas," Kylie blurted out before she could stop herself.

Sherlock's head snapped towards her so quickly Kylie was afraid he may have gotten whiplash.

"He followed me as I was walking to Witham's," she said quietly.

…She ran to Witham….

"Well, that was idiotic," Sherlock said sharply.

Kylie just looked at him.

"Really though. You have a psychopath on the loose after you and '_oh, I know. I'll walk all the way to the child-shrink-who-knows-nothing-about-how-to-help-me's house in the middle of the night. That's a swell idea'," _Sherlock said sarcastically imitating Kylie before becoming serious once more, "Yes, Kylie that was a really great idea."

Kylie just stared at him in silence. Where on earth was this coming from? Why was he lashing out?

"What did you want me to do Sherlock?" Kylie asked him trying to keep her anger to a minimum, "You were in the middle of something and I needed to go see Witham."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why Witham?"

"I'm seeing him for therapy Sherlock," Kylie explained, not knowing what was going on with her boyfriend, "I began freaking out after I saw the figurines."

"Yes, because he is oh-so helpful," Sherlock said as he rolled his eyes and glared angrily out the window.

Kylie just stared at him completely puzzled. She had no clue why he was upset with her…at all… yeah, okay she maybe understood why he was upset about her walking to Witham's but even if she had taken him out of his mind palace, he still would have been upset with her for that.

Kylie pulled out her phone and looked at it. It was four in the morning; others should be waking up soon. She suppressed a yawn before glancing at Sherlock once more. He was still glaring out the window.

"Why are you upset?" she asked quietly, not able to take the uncomfortable silence anymore.

"I'm not upset," Sherlock replied quickly.

Kylie just looked at his turned head, "Yeah, that's why you are refusing to look at me."

Sherlock turned and looked at her, as if to prove that he could.

"Why are you upset?"

"I'm not," he said once more as the cab stopped in front of 221 and he hopped out.

Kylie growled in frustration as she pulled out her wallet to pay the cabbie before hopping out of the cab and going through the door after him.

Kylie walked up the steps to see Sherlock pacing in front of the fireplace where he had set up photos of the fairytale murders along with other random assortment of papers on Thomas.

"Will you just answer my damn question?" Kylie asked as she shut the door a little too hard.

"I have," Sherlock said as he gazed at the pictures.

Kylie walked over and stood in front of him, dropping her purse in a chair on the way, completely blocking his view of the photographs as she was only a half-inch shorter than him in her boots.

"No," Kylie told him adamantly, "You are lying. I know you are upset with me about something."

Sherlock rolled his eyes and walked over to the table and began flipping through files.

"Are you upset because I walked? Are you upset because I ran into Thomas? Are you upset because I like mushrooms on my pizza?" Kylie guessed angrily, the last one being sarcastic, "Because I am not psychic Sherlock."

He just ignored her as he flipped through files.

Kylie just stared at him for a moment before losing her temper completely.

She walked over to the table, pulled the file out of Sherlock's hand, slammed it down on the table, pulled his chair away from the table, shoved him back in his chair as he tried to get up and avoid her once more, and straddled him, forcing him to look at her as she kept him in the chair.

Sherlock looked at her slightly shocked, she was pissed….

"God Dammit Sherlock," Kylie said angrily, "We are in a fucking relationship and you know what the key to a relationship is? Its communication! And you suck at it. You are so afraid to admit that you feel, that you push me aside sometimes. It's like I say something and I have to deduce why you are upset in order to fix it! You know what would be a whole lot easier? If you FUCKING TOLD ME. We would argue a whole lot less!"

Sherlock just looked at her, she never cussed this much…or yelled… or pinned him to a chair….

She sighed and closed her eyes, calming down.

She brought her hands to his chest softly and began rubbing circles, causing the both of them to take comfort in the touch.

"I just…. I hate that we fight," Kylie told him softly in a much gentler voice, her anger vanished and it had been replaced with a slight sadness, "I love you. I love you so much, and I just want this to work. I don't know what I would do without you…" Kylie trailed off. "I'm sorry I got pissed. I know you don't like to admit your emotions to yourself or others, but Sherlock you do know that in front of me, its okay to feel," she told him as she brought a hand up to his face, brushing a thumb over his cheek. "I wont judge you or be angry with you. I just need to know how you are feeling so I can fix it if I need to. I don't like you being upset with me."

She looked at him sincerely before she dropped her hand down his shoulder to his arm.

"Why did you go to Witham?" Sherlock asked quietly.

Kylie looked at him. He had already asked this question…

"Because I needed…Oh…" Kylie began to understand, "You're hurt because I ran to Witham?"

Sherlock looked down at her leg.

She nailed it…

"Sherlock, I am seeing him for therapy…" Kylie told him, "I pulled a gun on you, I don't want to hurt you. That's the only reason why I am doing it."

Sherlock still didn't look her in the eye, there was more to it than just that.

"Do you really think that I believe he can help me more than you can?" Kylie asked him, "You're hurt because I ran to him and not you?"

Sherlock shifted his gaze slightly, letting Kylie know she was on the right path.

Kylie put her hand on his cheek, forcing him to look her in the eye, "you are the one person who means the most to me in this world. I will always come to you for help when I need it, but I don't want to force you to take all of it. Witham is good at what he does…unfortunately…. And he can help me in a way that he has more experience in than you do. When you were in your mind palace, you were helping me. Helping me catch Thomas, while Witham was helping me in another."

Kylie searched his eyes for understanding, "I love you. You are my partner and my best friend, and you should never EVER doubt that."

Sherlock looked at her. He seemed almost ashamed of himself. Kylie just stared at him, her thumb still stroking his cheek in a calming manner as she waited for him to react.

She felt his hands go to her legs and began to tenderly bring his hands closer to her body. She smiled; him touching her was always his way of accepting and forgiving. He hardly said anything along those lines in words. His hands slid up her back before he pulled her to his chest in a hug.

"I love you too," Kylie was barely able to make it out, as it was as close to inaudible of a whisper as he could possible get.

Kylie pulled back and smiled at him before kissing him tenderly. The kiss turned passionate as feelings and emotion began to pour out of it from each of them. Kylie's hand began to tangle in his hair.

He broke the kiss as they both breathed heavily and began to kiss her neck, working his way up to the sensitive spot behind her ear. As soon as she felt his breath near her ear, Kylie's mind flashed to two years ago.

_She was struggling, tied to the bed. Thomas, the man that she had fallen for, was leaning over her with a knife. He held it to her throat as he kissed his way up to her ear, to a spot where he knew would make her shiver. _

_She felt his hot breath on her ear and neck as he whispered, "You're mine Kales, you always will be"_

Kylie leapt up and backed away from him as quickly as she could hitting the back of the table.

Sherlock just gaped at her, what in the hell had happened?

"Kylie?" he asked her softly. He could see it in her face, she wasn't here. She was lost in her memories.

She blinked a few times and shook her head slightly before fully coming back to reality.

"Kylie," he said gently.

Kylie swallowed and tried to calm herself.

"I'm so sorry," she told him as she tried to stop her hands from shaking.

She looked so frightened of herself, so vulnerable.

"I'm so sorry."

Sherlock reached a hand out for her. She shakily took it before straddling him once more and hugging him as if he were the only solid thing left in the world.

Sherlock hugged her tightly as he wished there was something he could do to make this stop for her. He rubbed her back and stroked her hair and just held her until he felt her eventually relax in his arms. He laid a kiss on the top of her head as he felt her slowly pull back, looking down at his shirt and blazer.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly once more.

"Why?" Sherlock asked, he still wasn't sure why she was apologizing.

Kylie played with his collar, slightly ashamed, "I can't even…be intimate with you without freaking out."

Sherlock looked at her puzzled, he still didn't understand.

"Why does that matter?" Sherlock asked her.

Kylie looked at him; "You don't want to be…intimate with me?" she asked as she moved to clamber off of his lap before Sherlock's arms stopped her and held her right where she was.

Kylie just looked at him before he leaned in and kissed her softly once more, conveying the fact that that was exactly opposite of what he wanted. He broke the kiss as Kylie brought a hand to his face and swept his dark curls to the side as they just enjoyed a moment together.

Sherlock's phone went off and Kylie sighed before glancing at the caller ID.

"Its John," Kylie said as she grabbed it and handed it to him with a puzzled expression, "It's a little early for him."

Sherlock rolled his eyes before picking it up, "john?"

"Sherlock…he got her…" John said sounding as if he was about to go into hysterics. Kylie's eyes widened in shock as she overheard him.

"Got who John?" Sherlock asked. Kylie could hear the worry in his voice as she got up off of his lap and grabbed her purse, ready to leave and help the situation.

"Mary Sherlock. He got to her, and I didn't stop it."

"John, where are you?" Sherlock asked as he put on his jacket and scarf.

"Bart's ER," John told him as they walked out the door.

"We're on our way," Sherlock said before pausing, "Are you alright?"

John took a shaky breath on the other end, "He hurt Kylie, he hurt Mrs. Hudson, and now Mary is in the ER…"

"I know," Sherlock said in a serious voice as he opened the cab door for Kylie.

**%#$#* &**

"John," Kylie said breathlessly as she ran into the ER, with Sherlock close behind her.

John looked like a wreck. He quickly wiped the tears off of his face.

Kylie felt her heart break when she saw him. She just walked over and hugged him tightly. John grabbed onto her as if she was keeping him a float. Sherlock just stood there and watched his girlfriend comfort his best friend without any question of what had happened, she just comforted him.

Kylie pulled away after a moment and looked at him with worry, "How is she?"

John wiped his eyes once more and tried to stay strong, "She's in intensive care."

"What happened?" Kylie asked gently.

"Since this whole thing started, she's been having trouble sleeping. So I gave her a dose of diazepam to help her get to sleep. And thank God I woke up in the middle of the night. She wouldn't wake up and her breathing was shallow. Her heart rate was almost non-existent…"

Kylie looked at Sherlock nervously, "Nine little Indians sat up very late; one overslept himself and then there were eight."

"I want to kill that son of a bitch," John said angrily as his hands shook slightly.

Kylie looked at him apologetically, "I'm sorry John."

"Its not your fault Kylie," John told her.

Kylie opened her mouth to argue before she noticed the way Sherlock was looking at his friend. She just settled on putting a comforting hand on John's arm before walking down the hall to leave the two of them alone.

"You alright?" Sherlock said as he grabbed John's arm to steady him.

John shook his head, "I gave her that medicine Sherlock. I did it." He paused as he sat in a chair, beating himself up the entire time, "He must have gotten into my kit."

Sherlock sat down beside him as they both sat in silence in the waiting room.

"Thomas needs to be…dealt with," Sherlock said.

John nodded and looked up as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"You're actually going to call your brother?" John asked.

Sherlock just stared straight ahead for a moment before answering, "If it means they're safe."

John nodded once more as he wiped his eyes once more.

"You do realize what we are doing right?" John asked.

It was silent for a moment.

"Yes."

Silence once more.

"Well, he's not a very nice man."

" That doesn't rationalize it," Sherlock told him.

"It doesn't. It still is what it is."

"The world will be a better place without him," Sherlock said as he pulled out his phone and dialed his brother's familiar number as John prayed that his fiancé would live to see her wedding day.

**Review?**


	65. Chapter 65

**Sorry guys! It took me forever to get this chapter up. I'm sorry Sherlock has been OOC! I reread a couple chapters and..yeah… so I apologize. I am trying to show his evolution with Kylie (so, he acts one way with her and when he forgets that others are there, and a different with the others.) but it didn't work out. **

**So I apologize!**

**SkyWrites:**** …shifty eyes….**

**RainbowAssassin:**** I keep forgetting to comment on this, but the Shedder? Hahahahahahahah I haven't seen that show in AGES! I was obsessed with it when I was like three and haven't seen it since. But I laughed pretty hard when I saw that.**

**GraceSong:**** Don't feel guilty my dear! I appreciate your review anytime I can get them!**

**DJbirdyWantstofly:**** NUTELLA IS CRACK! I LOVE that stuff…to the point where I cant buy it…I will eat it in like a day. Its so FREAKING good! **

**Also a thank you for your responses on peanut butter. I know it was a stupid ignorant question, but for some reason I just couldn't see it…. I don't know why. …Just don't judge me, my brain is still fried from physics!  
**

**A huge thanks also to ****kie1993, Elleari (Check out her story! Its awesome!), Crimsiontigerlily, X-poisonCherry-X, thegirlwiththebrowneyes, ChelGallifreya221B613, and Gwilwillith for their reviews!**** I love you all!**

**Here's the next chapter!**

**It's really not that good…so I apologize…..**

Kylie wandered back in with a cup of coffee in each hand. She saw Sherlock on the phone across the room talking quietly to someone on the other line. John was still in the chair and had his hands tangled in his hair as his head was dropped in worry.

Kylie walked over and sat next to John, holding the coffee out for him. John sat up as he sensed her presence, taking the coffee from her and giving her a small smile.

"The doctors say that she's most likely going to pull through," Kylie told him, "She's still in the ICU though."

John nodded and took a sip of his coffee, not able to look at her. Kylie smiled weakly before reaching down and covering his hand with hers in support.

John grabbed it tightly as if she was the only thing keeping him grounded at the moment. Sherlock hung up his phone and walked back over, taking his seat next to Kylie. Kylie just looked at him before Charlie and Lestrade came storming in the room.

"Mary, that son of a bitch got Mary?" Charlie ranted upon entry.

Kylie shot him a look before getting up and ushering them to the side to quietly fill them in as not to upset John even further.

Sherlock heard John sigh as he ran a hand through his hair, causing it to stand up at strange angles.

"Anyone here for Mary Morstan?" A doctor said as he walked out.

John jumped up quickly, causing his scalding coffee to spill on his hand, and swore under his breath as he turned his attention to the doctor who was now raising an eyebrow at him.

"I'm her fiancé," John said quickly, "how is she?"

"She's stable," the doctor assured him, "We have her on dialysis to get the opiates out of her system…"

"Opiates?" John asked.

"Yes, she was on high amounts of Oxycodone."

John ran a hand over his face; with the amount he had given her with her small body weight… he was damn lucky he didn't kill her.

"Can we see her?" he asked.

The doctor nodded, "She is sedated though."

John pushed past the doctor to go see her as Sherlock made to follow.

"Sherlock," Kylie said, stopping him effectively in his tracts. He turned to look at her as she walked over to him, "just give him a moment with her."

He just looked at her for a moment before nodding slightly as sitting back down in the chair. Kylie sat beside him and offered him some coffee before he began to get lost in his thoughts.

The four of them sat in silence for a moment before Sherlock got up, grabbing Kylie's hand and dragging her down the hall to where John and Mary were.

Lestrade turned to Charlie "So much for John and Mary's moment."

**%$# &* **

Sherlock and Kylie walked into the room to find John laying a kiss on Mary's forehead as she had tubes and wires attached all over her body.

Kylie walked in and tried to turn back around and walk out only to run straight into Sherlock.

"Sherlock, come on," Kylie whispered still trying to give John privacy as she put a hand on his chest and tried to push him out the door once more. Sherlock wouldn't budge; he stood his ground, keeping Kylie in the room as he looked at Mary with curiosity.

He cleared his throat, earning a glare from Kylie for not letting John have a moment as John stood up quickly wiping his eyes once more.

He looked at them before sitting in the chair next to the bed and holding Mary's hand as Sherlock nudged Kylie into the room.

Sherlock began looking Mary's unconscious body over as Kylie flashed John and apologetic look.

He began to pick up the hand and arm that John was not holding and Kylie gaped at him.

"Sherlock," Kylie hissed at him, "Boundaries?"

"Look," Sherlock said holding Mary's hand out.

"Sherlock…."

"LOOK!"

Kylie sighed and looked as John stood up to look also.

"It's a pin prick," Kylie said frowning, "So what? The ER probably did it."

"What test requires a pin prick that they couldn't get from the blood test they did?" Sherlock snapped.

"What are you on about?" John asked, "So her finger was pricked?"

"Her finger John! Remind you of anything?"

Kylie and John looked at Sherlock as if he had lost his mind as Charlie and Lestrade wandered in.

"Oh God, what's it like in your heads? So simple, so novice…" Sherlock said in amazement.

Kylie glared at him.

"Your point?" John said with gritted teeth.

"The prick on the finger…" Sherlock said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

The group just stared at him with growing anger and frustration.

"Thomas has killed before in a serial fashion," Sherlock said.

"Yeah, he was the fairy tale killer," Kylie said with a puzzled look before it clicked, "OH! He combined the two!"

"Yeah…" Charlie said, "Still lost…"

Kylie turned to them, "He killed with a fairy tale theme in order to 'get my attention' because he knew that I had a fascination with fairy tales when I was younger. Now he left us a poem from my favorite book, _And Then There Were None_."

"He's trying to make a point," Lestrade said puzzled, "I still don't understand what this has to do with a pricked finger."

Sherlock groaned loudly in annoyance as he dropped Mary's arm haphazardly on to the bed.

"OI!" John objected standing up angrily.

"He's combining the two of them. The fairy tales with the poem! Don't you see?"

"The choking is a reference to the Grimm Fairytale about the little hen who choked on a kernel. While this, this is a reference to sleeping beauty."

"Who fell into a deep sleep after pricking her finger on a spinning wheel," Charlie commented as he gazed at Mary.

"But wait," John said, "That prick has to be from a medical test, I mean she didn't have that…." John froze as he realized what had happened. "He was here, in the hospital. He touched her…." John said growing angrier by the second.

"John take a breath clam down," Charlie said as John took a step towards him.

"Calm down?" John asked as he rounded on Charlie.

"John," Lestrade said sternly, "Take a walk."

John looked at Lestrade murderously.

"TAKE A WALK. Cool your head. We're all a bit emotional…"

"HE TOUCHED HER GREG!" John yelled.

"AND HE ALMOST KILLED YOUR LANDLADY AND BEAT AND RAPED KYLIE!" Greg yelled back, "He's hurt a lot of people and getting pissed about it isn't going to solve anything!"

John just looked at him, breathing heavily with anger.

"Take a walk," Lestrade told him.

John stormed past him and out the door, muttering under his breath.

Sherlock felt Kylie grab his hand. He looked at her as she shifted slightly closer to him. She looked guilt ridden and sad as she watched John leave and then looked down at Mary, one of her best friends. She was squeezing his hand tightly, as if searching for some, if any support.

He looked up to see Lestrade smirking slightly at the pair of them. He didn't care of they dated for a hundred years, he would still never accept that this woman had changed Sherlock Holmes for the better. Never in a million years would he have predicted that he would allow a woman to hold his hand…let alone date her…. care for her…. love her… It was quite apparent to, well, everyone, that the Yard's favorite (or not so favorite) sociopath was head over heels for the anthropologist. One never would be able to tear the man's attention away from a case, but when she walked in the room, his eyes went to her before his mind began racing twice as fast, almost as if it was functioning more clearly…or he was just trying to impress her. Either way, if the two of them kept dating, the crime rate in London was going to be halved.

Lestrade saw Sherlock glaring at him, causing him to smirk even more. He was loving every minute of embarrassing the hell out of Sherlock. That man had given him a headache for years…and the revenge was sweet.

**#$ &^**

"I'm worried about John," Kylie said as she climbed out of the cab and onto the sidewalk of Baker's street.

"He'll be fine," Sherlock told her as he put a hand on her back, ushering her into the flat.

Kylie sighed as she let him help her remove her jacket at the bottom of the stairs.

"I know," She said as he hung up her jacket and removed his own, hanging it up with hers.

She ran a hand through her hair and opened her mouth to speak before they heard a creak above them. Kylie looked at Sherlock.

"Someone's here," she whispered to him.

Sherlock pushed past her and began to walk up the stairs quietly before looking down at her, "Stay here."

Sherlock began climbing the stairs once more as Kylie rolled her eyes. How long would it take him to learn that there was no way in hell she was going to let him go in there alone. Kylie had the last name of Gibbs, and they never backed down from a fight….ever…

Sherlock walked to the top of the stairs and pushed the door open slowly as he held his breath.

"Bout time you got in brother," Mycroft said as he wandered back into the living room stirring his cup of tea.

Sherlock glared at his brother. When he called, he hadn't meant for him to show up.

"Really?" Kylie asked as she came into the room, "Cant you call before coming?"

Mycroft turned his gaze questioningly to his brother and raised an eyebrow at him as if to ask why he hadn't told her about his earlier phone call to him.

Sherlock rolled his eyes as he and his brother began a non-verbal conversation, similar to the ones they had commonly as children when they were not permitted to speak.

_What did you expect?_

_You didn't tell her what you asked of me?_

_She doesn't need to know, she just needs him gone._

"Are you two alright?" Kylie asked looking between the two of them suspiciously, "Why are you staring each other down?"

"Out of pleasure of seeing my dear brother again," Sherlock said as he placed a hand on Kylie's low back urging her into the flat further.

Mycroft smiled at him, "Good to know you appreciate my company."

"Why are you even here?" Kylie asked.

"I heard of Mr. Moore's escape and came to offer my assistance," Mycroft said as he sat in one of the chairs and sipped his tea.

Kylie raised an eyebrow, "We're trying to put him back in prison Mycroft, not assassinate him."

Mycroft looked at his brother who froze slightly while taking off his blazer. Luckily for them, Kylie missed both of these as her father walked in the door with Tony and Abby close behind him.

"You lot are up early," Kylie commented as she curled herself in Sherlock's armchair and rubbed her eyes, willing the tiredness to leave her.

"You still haven't slept at all?" Tony gaped at her, "You really need to sleep Ky."

"Tony's right," Abby began as she set up her laptop on the table, "Without REM sleep, your brain begins to shut down neuron by neuron…. oh…who are you?"

They had finally spotted Mycroft. Gibbs just stared at him while Tony almost dropped his coffee (it had startled him for some odd reason) and Abby just looked at him questioningly.

"Guys, this is Sherlock's brother Mycroft," Kylie told them.

"We've met," Gibbs said glaring at him. The last time these two men had seen each other was when they had contacted him during a case that Kylie and Sherlock had been working with them in the States. Gibbs knew that Mycroft had purposely let Thomas and Moriarty go free due to the fact that he and the American government wanted information that they had about Russian weapons of mass destruction. Gibbs knew that he had manipulated the situation by using his brother and Gibb's youngest daughter as bait. He knew Thomas would be where they were, unleashing the psychopath on them once more.

Kylie looked between the two of them. This was not good. Her boyfriend's all-powerful brother in a staring match with her father….

"Mr. Gibbs is good to see you again," Mycroft said with a smile as Gibbs stared him down.

Sherlock walked over and picked up his violin and sat in a chair at the table, plucking it.

Gibbs took a step forward when Sherlock spoke, "We need to find the island."

"Island?" Tony asked before smiling as he reflected back on memories, "You know there was this one time when I was in Cuba…."

Gibbs reached up and slapped Tony, stopping him immediately.

"Sorry Boss."

"Like in the story?" Kylie asked from her seat as she yawned.

"Precisely," Sherlock said as he stared at the floor in thought, "Thomas is using the story and interweaving the fairytales back into them. There has to be an 'island' of some sort."

"There's only 8 figurines…" Abby said noticing the statues.

"Yeah, Thomas breaks in and steals them once he tries to kill one of us," Kylie told them.

Tony and Abby gaped.

"HE breaks in here?" Abby asked with fright, "He has the balls to break in here even though he is…"

"Abs, lets focus on solving this," Kylie told her with a smile.

"In the story, the island serves as an isolation from the rest of the world. A source in which none of them can escape, including the killer," Kylie said looking at Sherlock, "So if he is trying to kill us in our homes, that means…"

"That he considers the borders to be the island. He is staying somewhere within that border," Sherlock finished before getting up and setting a map of London on the table.

Kylie got up as he took a marker and began making dots and connecting them, "So if we can make the border, we can track him…"

Sherlock made nine dots and froze, looking at Kylie as she gaped at him.

"What?" Tony asked.

"We only know who nine of his intended victims is, we don't know the tenth," Kylie said as she walked over to the figurines, picking up the unknown one with the doll and looked at it.

"So?" Tony asked.

"So without it we cannot isolate a perimeter and leaves us with an open gap and all of Eastern London to search," Kylie told him as she set down the figurine.

"He doesn't want us to know who it is," Sherlock said looking at them, "He wants to play the game further, not end it. He made some of the figurines obvious, and this one, he knows you'd have trouble figuring it out."

Kylie looked at him, "He wants to take this game all the way. He's planned a way to do it."

**Review?**


	66. Chapter 66

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"You've got to think Kylie," Sherlock said as he knelt in front of the armchair she was in.

Kylie looked at him for a moment as she inspected the figurine in her hand and racked her brain.

She just shook her head and looked at it, "I don't know…"

"Kylie, you know!" Sherlock told her, becoming quickly annoyed, "He considers this a game, its only fun for him if the answer is right in front of us."

"Sherlock, I don't know," Kylie told him as she tried to get him off her back.

"Yes you do! Now use your brain and THINK!"

"I AM!" Kylie argued back as she glared at him, standing her ground as they glared at each other.

Gibbs smirked, "That's my girl," he said as he walked into the kitchen to make some coffee, earning a harsh glare from Sherlock.

Kylie looked down at the figurine, "I don't know anyone who collects dolls," she squinted at it closer, "or is this a puppet?"

Sherlock looked at her before walking next to the chair and placing a hand on the armrest as he peered at the figurine also.

"Puppet? A marionette?" Sherlock asked.

"Well in the 16th century, marionettes used to be considered dolls," Kylie speculated, "but who in the hell do I know who uses marionettes….?"

Kylie and Sherlock both turned to look at Mycroft.

"He's the tenth victim," Tony said putting it all together.

Sherlock and Kylie looked at him for another moment as he just sipped his tea calmly before Sherlock and Kylie leapt towards the table and began filling in the map.

"The Diagonese Club closes the loop," Kylie said.

"Giving us a fifty block radius," Sherlock said as they stood back and looked at the map.

Kylie's phone rang and she looked at it, a blocked number popped up on the screen. The room tensed as Kylie picked it up.

"Hello gorgeous, you miss me?" Thomas's voice said over the line.

"Like hell I did," Kylie spat back, regaining confidence as he was not actually in the room with her, "What do you want Thomas?"

"You Kales," he said in a voice that made the hair on the back of Kylie's neck stand up, "You belong to me."

"I'm not an object you bastard. You don't own me," Kylie said as she broke slightly. Sherlock felt anger surge through him as he fought himself to take the phone from her. Instead he felt Kylie grab him hand, as if trying to gain some more strength from him.

"Yes…yes I do Kales," Thomas told her, "You're remembering that night aren't you. You can't get me out of your head…"

Kylie felt him on her again, his body pressed against hers as he roughly held her down on the bed, bruising her skin as she fought back.

"Stop it," Kylie said trying to get the thoughts out of her mind. She felt Sherlock's hand squeeze hers tightly.

"You know you liked it. You liked struggling. I saw it in your face."

"SHUT UP!" Kylie yelled, causing everyone in the room to jump, "Why are you doing this Thomas…why?"

"Because you still love me."

"I thought I loved you a long time ago. It's different."

She heard Thomas laugh on the other end of the line, "You think that that new little boyfriend of yours is a saint? Oh, you got a lot of surprises coming your way Kales. That bastard is worse than me."

"I don't know what is going on in your sick mind Thomas, but Sherlock is a good man. Unlike you, he actually has a soul," Kylie told him.

Thomas laughed once more, "I doubt that he does, I would go and look in your room behind the periodic table you have hanging there…. then tell me that you still think that he's a saint."

Kylie opened her mouth to speak but she heard Thomas hang up the phone. She pulled it away from her ear and stared at the screen in a slight shock.

"I couldn't trace it," Abby said as she typed on her computer, "He's bouncing the signal and I needed longer."

"What'd he say?' Sherlock asked.

"I need a minute," Kylie said as she got up and wandered into the bedroom.

"Kylie," Gibbs said.

"I said I need a minute," Kylie told him as she shut the bedroom door behind her.

Mycroft looked at his younger brother. He was at a complete loss at what to do as he stared after his girlfriend, and Mycroft couldn't blame him one bit.

**%$ # *& **

Kylie sat down on the bed with her head in her hands, trying to get what Thomas had told her out of her head.

He was wrong, Sherlock was a good man. She knew that without a doubt in her mind. It was what was behind the periodic table that was getting to her. She needed to trust him. She needed to let him have his own space when he needed it, but the thought grew in her mind. It was taking away the comfort she had in him. She knew that what ever it was, was most likely planted by Thomas, but curiosity sparked intrigue.

She looked at the table, debating within herself if she should look or not. She trusted the man out there with her life, and Thomas was playing mind games.

There was a knock on the door as it slowly opened. Her father walked in and shut the door behind him before sitting next to his daughter.

"He's messing with me Dad," Kylie told him, "He's trying to get me to question Sherlock. Tells me he has deep secrets that make him an even worse man that Thomas."

"Everyone has secrets Ky."

"I know, and I respect that."

"So what's the problem?"

"He told me that there was proof of that behind that periodic table."

"Did you look?"

"No…"

"Why haven't you?'

"Because I don't know if it will have been him who had put it there. Thomas has been in our flat."

Gibbs looked at his daughter for a moment.

"What does your gut tell you?"

"My head tells me to look right now, but my gut…. that's telling me to trust in him and not play the game."

Gibbs leaned over and kissed his daughter's head, "Then do what your gut tells you."

Gibbs then got up and walked out of the room, leaving Kylie alone with her thoughts once more. She looked at the periodic table, the curiosity was killing her, but her father was right.

She'd be damned if Thomas won again, she trusted Sherlock.

**%#$ * **

Sherlock was sitting and staring at their bedroom door as Gibbs came strolling out of it. He unconsciously looked at the older man eagerly, cursing himself as he saw Gibbs smirk and nod to him. He shouldn't let his emotions rule him like that. He had control…

"Sherlock!" Lestrade said.

Sherlock spun around in his chair to face him, frowning when he did, "When did you get here?"

"I've been here for almost ten minutes now," Lestrade said looking at him strangely.

Sherlock's eyes shifted awkwardly as Kylie came out of the room and took a seat in the armchair she had been occupying earlier.

"So how do we find this sick SOB?" Tony asked.

As the group began discussing, Sherlock caught Kylie's eye. His expression was questioning, a mixture between upset, worried, and caring.

Kylie smiled and nodded to him slightly as if to tell him that she was perfectly fine.

"Where's Charlie?" Kylie asked.

"He's headed to Exeter to follow up on something…. and visit a girlfriend I believe," Lestrade commented.

Sherlock froze and looked at Lestrade.

"Please don't tell me that Exeter is in Devon…" Kylie said with baited breath.

Sherlock just looked at her as she nearly lunged for her cell phone dialing Charlie's number as fast as she could.

"Devon?" Tony asked.

"Abs, can you track his cell?" Gibbs asked springing into action as Abby began typing furiously.

"What about Devon?" Lestrade asked extremely confused and beginning to worry.

"Eight little Indian boys traveling in Devon, one said he'd stay there, and then there were seven," Kylie said as she hung up the phone and tried again, "Dammit Charlie, pick up."

"Got him," Abby said happily, "He's at the Buxley station….and he's not moving…."

Kylie grabbed her gun off the table and sprinted out the door, quickly followed by Sherlock and her father as Lestrade and Tony trailed behind. Mycroft just sighed to himself before he bid farwell to Abby and headed to the Diagonese club for some quiet.

**%#$^ **

Kylie felt dread building up in her body. Something was wrong, terribly terribly wrong. Charlie, one of her best, yet most annoying friends was Thomas's next target. This was all her fault. Thomas was going after him because of her.

Kylie leapt out of the cab before it had even stopped and sprinted towards the station.

"Dammit Kylie," Sherlock swore as he leapt out and sprinted after her. Her father had just lectured her about waiting until they had a plan to enter.

Kylie tore through the station, looking everywhere for her blond haired friend. There was a crowd of police officers and a scream from across the station when Sherlock showed up at her side.

"Kylie wait…" he began before she tore off again.

Kylie sprinted towards it nearly knocking people over as she tried desperately to pray that her friend wasn't going to be dead when she reached him.

She finally reached the group of officers and stopped immediately, they were just breaking up a fight between two University students. Charlie was nowhere in sight.

Sherlock looked around wildly, searching for Charlie. He had to be here somewhere.

Kylie yanked out her cell phone and began calling him once more as she shook with dread.

Then they heard it, a ring…not just any ring…. the annoying as hell ringtone that Charlie had on his phone of the song "man-eater" that he had personalized for Kylie as a joke.

They spun around to see Charlie walking out of the woman's restroom with a busty blond who was giggling and holding his hand as Charlie tried to straighten out his disheveled appearance.

He looked at his cellphone curiously before picking it up breathlessly.

"Kylie?"

Kylie ran over to him and launched herself at him in relief that he was alive.

"Hey bitch!" the blond argued, "He's mine!"

"Thank God, oh thank God," Kylie said as she hugged her partner tightly.

"Usually women only call me that in bed," Charlie commented as he grinned at Sherlock who rolled his eyes.

Kylie pulled back and hit him on the chest.

"Is she your girlfriend?" The blond asked him.

"No, I'm his fucking uncle," Kylie snapped at the highly irritating blond.

The blond just gaped at her.

"Come on, we need to get you home," Kylie told him, "If you were going to Devon, you are Thomas's next target."

"What?"

"Just grab your things," Kylie told him before turning to look at a surly looking Sherlock. Was he seriously upset again?

Kylie walked over and kissed his cheek before grabbing his hand, as if to tell him that he had nothing to worry about between her and Charlie.

**^%$#*#&**

"Just because I was going to Devon, you think that Thomas is after me?" Charlie asked.

"Charlie he flat out told you he was coming after you," Kylie said as she paid the cabbie and hopped out of the car after her father and Sherlock.

"Yeah, but he never did," Charlie said grabbing his bag grumpily.

"You're just pissed because we ruined your 'get laid' weekend," Kylie huffed as she went to unlock the flat door, only to find it open.

_Well we all did sprint out, no wonder it wasn't locked._

"Yeah, I really liked…." Charlie trailed off as Kylie spun round.

"You didn't even know her name? You two had sex in a bathroom, and you didn't even bother to learn her name?"

Charlie shrugged as Tony smirked, "What can I say, Papa knows how to go to work."

Kylie chucked the newspaper at him as she felt Sherlock try to shove her into the doorway protectively, glaring at Charlie the entire time.

Kylie laughed to herself as she climbed the stairs, hearing Charlie and Tony go on and on about women. Those two were quite similar, it was scary.

Kylie froze as she and Sherlock reached the door to their flat. Their place was trashed…completely and utterly trashed. Paper was everywhere; Sherlock's experiments lay broken on the floor. Some of the acid had eaten through the kitchen table, causing it to lay collapsed on the floor.

"What the…" Kylie said as they entered their now broken home.

Gibbs came up behind them, "Where's Abby?"

Kylie felt fear and dread shoot through her body once more. Charlie had been a distraction…

She watched Sherlock walk over to the figurines, "The figurine with the doll is missing."

Kylie mentally kicked herself, "It wasn't Mycroft, and the real target was Abby. She's the tenth victim."

**Review?**


	67. Chapter 67

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I have been worried about the last few chapters because I wasn't getting nearly the amount of reviews that I had been getting…and that always worries me! I don't know why, I know it is absurd…**

**Anyhow;**

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**Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

"That's where we are staying, that cant close the boundary!"

"That's the only way it CAN happen!"

Kylie sat on the couch staring off into space as the men were gathered around the table, frantically trying to figure out where Abby was. The kitchen table crashed to the ground as the acid finally ate through the last leg of the table, even though Kylie and Sherlock had poured Baking Soda all over their floor in attempt to stop it from eating through their floor. No one was fazed by it, as they were all so engrained in arguing over the map.

Kylie felt terrible; all of this was her fault. Abby being missing, Mrs. Hudson and Mary in the hospital, the list could go on and on. She had to finish this. This was her battle, and her battle alone. She looked at her friends and family surrounding the table, none of them deserved to be dragged into this mess. They were fighting for her, and none of them deserved that. Abby could be dead, or even worse…Thomas could have her. Mary and Mrs. Hudson, both were in the hospital and had been very near death at one point.

She needed to take care of this….it was her job to fix it. Her father had a rule "never screw over your partner", and that's what she was doing…screwing them all over by putting them in danger, when all Thomas wanted was her.

Kylie saw Sherlock straighten up and slyly pull out his phone and text someone under the table. Kylie raised her eyebrow, that was odd…he usually made a scene about texting. It usually meant that he had figured something out…or needed someone. He was most likely texting John, who else would he be texting? Mycroft? Somehow she doubted that.

Kylie pulled out her own phone and looked at it as she saw her father smack Tony on the back of the head. She looked at the people that she cared most about. Her father, Tony, Charlie, Lestrade, Sherlock…. None of them deserved this. She sent a text, hoping that this would allow her to save her friends.

Her phone beeped back. She glanced at it…..of course….. She threw the phone down and grabbed the gun that was next to her. She stood up, not having any of them notice. She glanced at them, she was doing it for them…to save them.

This could be the last time she saw them. She couldn't tell them..they wouldn't let her. She wrote a quick note before slipping out the door quietly, not a single one of them noticing.

Kylie walked out on the street and hailed a cab. She hopped in and had to laugh to herself.

"Three times in three days?" she asked the cabbie.

"You're not crying this time," the nice cabbie said as he laughed, "I guess I am the luckiest man in the world."

Kylie smiled at him as she told him the address across town. He was about John's age, most likely as few years older. He had brownish-red hair and wild hazel eyes, if he hadn't shown Kylie such kindness, she probably would have been scared to death of him. She noticed a picture on the dashboard.

"Were you in the military?" she asked.

"Yeah, Elite Artillery unit," he told her, "I was a sniper."

"My dad was a sniper in the US Marines," Kylie said with a smile.

"A brother in arms," the man told her, "I knew there was something I liked about you."

Kylie smiled at him while he paused, a completely different expression coming over his face as he slowed.

"This isn't it…." Kylie began before he looked at her through the rearview mirror.

"That's why I'm sorry I have to do this, but a little bird told me you've been a very naughty girl," he said before the butt of a pistol connected to with her head an everything went black.

**^%#$(#&#**

Sherlock sat at the table, not really paying attention to the bickering of the rest of the men at the table. His phone buzzed once more. He glanced down at the text.

_Consider it done. I hope you have informed Miss Gibbs._

_-MH_

Sherlock rolled his eyes at the irony of the text.

_That's rich coming from you. You inform everyone after you assassinate a parliament member? And don't think that I missed that one last year. I'm not that slow._

_-SH_

"Seriously?" Lestrade gaped, "you think that bastard is hanging out in a butcher shop?"

Sherlock smirked to himself, idiots. It wouldn't be long until this thing was over. He hated this, relying on his brother and his resources. Plus he didn't….kill…. Thomas had still hurt people from prison. He was like Moriarty; he wouldn't be gone until he was dead. He needed to protect everyone, protect Kylie. She would only be safe once his heart stopped beating.

Sherlock looked back at the couch behind him. His heart dropped, the couch was empty. Kylie's phone lay on the couch, but no Kylie.

"Kylie," Sherlock said as no one heard him.

He got up and walked over to the couch seeing the note.

_I love you all, just remember that. This is my battle to fight, I'm so sorry that I dragged you all into this._

_Rule #45. _

_Love,_

_Kylie_

She was gone. She had gone after Thomas. He had no idea what rule 45 meant, but it was most likely one of her father's absurd rules that he used.

Sherlock grabbed the Glock the younger American idiot had left by the door and slipped out of the house. He knew where she was going, and he had better get there before Mycroft's man did.

**&%#$#(&**

"Kylie!"

"Kylie!"

Kylie groaned, her head hurt beyond belief.

"KYLIE!"

"I SAID SHUT IT!" a male voice yelled, "You are lucky I don't waterboard you. That's how we dealt with them over there."

Kylie heard footsteps walking away as she opened her eyes. She was chained and cuffed to drain pipe in a dark cell.

"Kylie!"

Kylie turned to see Abby chained in a similar fashion in a cell beside her. Her pigtails were mussed and she looked like she had fought back in a couple of struggles.

"You alright?" Kylie asked as she winced and tried to pull herself up properly, feeling the metal handcuffs dig into her skin.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Abby told her in a loud whisper, "You?"

"I'll be fine," Kylie said as she tried to focus. The world was spinning and blurry. Great….another concussion…. She was beginning to find them unavoidable.

"What happened? Where are we?" she asked Abby as she tried to recover.

"I don't know," Abby said quietly, "Thomas broke in and snuck up behind me. I fought back and struggled but he had Chloroform. I woke up in here."

"Have you seen him?"

"No it's been that bastard who brought you in. I swear, I think he's worse than Thomas."

"The cabbie?" Kylie asked, still not believing that that nice cabbie that had been so considerate and lovely to her was working with Thomas.

"Yeah, military general of some sort. Most likely dishonorable discharge for being a mother fu…."

"I get it Abs," Kylie said as she looked around, trying to find a way out of some sort.

"Their steel hand cuffs connected to steel pipes that are sautered to the wall and bolted to the ground with fresh bolts," Abby said hopelessly, "If I only had some acid, I could burn through it."

Kylie yanked hard at the pipe, praying that it would budge, only to tear up her wrists slightly.

"Gibbs and Tony will find us," Abby said out of some comfort as she watched Kylie fight against her restraints.

Kylie stopped after a few minutes as her wrists begin to bleed slightly from the cuffs. She just stared at the cuffs before looking at Abby.

"I'm so sorry I dragged you into this Abs."

"Its not your fault," Abby told her, "That son of a bitch needs to go down. I'd like to see the Gibbs wrath he gets now."

"I should have made the connection, you had no idea you were the next victim."

"Everyone missed it, including me. I mean just because I'm from New Orleans and goth, doesn't mean that I play with voodoo dolls."

"Abs, didn't you give me one one year for Christmas?" Kylie said with a raised eyebrow.

Abby thought about it for a moment, "Oh yeah, that was the first Christmas you were with Thomas?"

"Yeah he made fun of me the whole way home from my Dad's because you got me drunk enough to make a song and dance up for the voodoo dolls you brought back for us."

Abby laughed, "I still think you could do a one woman show."

Kylie smiled before she looked at the lock on the cuffs curiously. These weren't police cuffs, they were military. Most people wouldn't notice the difference, cuffs being cuffs, but growing up with her father, she knew the difference. Military were much easier to pick.

Kylie cursed herself for not having a bobbi-pin on her. She looked at Abby.

"Abby, Please dear God tell me you have a bobbi pin in your hair."

Abby looked at her before glancing over her shoulder, as not to let the cabbie see, before she dropped her head and began rooting through her hair for the pin. Finding it, she dropped it on the ground and attempted to scoot it through the cell with her foot and towards Kylie.

Kylie reached out for it, it was still about a foot away, neither of them could reach it as they were bound far enough apart to make it difficult. Kylie lay on the ground and tried to reach the pin before a door swung open from down the hallway and footsteps were approaching. Kylie scrambled back up, fighting the painful throbbing and dizziness in her head to be back to sitting up as the cabbie walked in once more.

He stopped and smiled at Kylie, "Fooled you didn't I? You aren't as bright as they say."

Kylie glowered at him, "Who are you?"

The man laughed, "That'd make it too easy for you wouldn't it?"

"You obviously were telling the truth about your military service. You threatened to waterboard Abby, telling me that you served recently. Either that or you are MI5, but I doubt that. You have the patience of a sniper, my bet is, is that you told me the truth about that. I grew up with a sniper, and I can already see the traits in you."

The man smiled at her, not saying a word.

"How do you know my son of a bitch ex?" Kylie asked, "Why are you helping him?"

"Thomas has a lot to offer."

"So he's paying you by the load then?"

The man smiled at her sinisterly, "No he pays me for each head I bring him. And you my dear, are the biggest prize of all. I brought him two play things, one that he has been wanting for a very long time."

He smiled at the both of them once more before laughing and walking out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Kylie waited for a moment before glancing at Abby, who looked severely frightened and worried. Kylie lay down once more, stretching her hands as far over her head as she could the toe of her boot barely scraping the pin on the ground.

"Come on..." Kylie whispered closing her eyes as she tried her best to get the pin to move towards her.

After a couple minutes struggling, she finally connected with it and slid it towards her, scooting back to a sitting position, trying to knock the pin close enough to her hands for her to pick up.

Abby watched with baited breath before Kylie was finally able to get it in her hands and began picking the lock as fast as she could.

She heard the door open once more and froze as someone else walked in, someone who had been haunting her dreams, her thoughts.

"Daddy's home," Thomas said as he walked in and smiled at the pair of women chained to the pipe.

**%#$#&#**

Gibbs sat at the table thinking about why on earth Abby was taken. He hated this son of a bitch, who could hurt his girls? They were sweet, confident, beautiful, smart, caring human beings, and yet this bastard felt the need to take them.

Gibbs looked over at his daughter. He froze, she wasn't there, her phone was lying on the couch. He turned to tell Sherlock, surely he hadn't missed it. The bastard could be an ass, but he was highly observant and loved his daughter.

Son of a bitch….he was gone too. Gibbs growled under his breath and picked up his jacket, glancing at Tony's next to him before picking up Kylie's phone.

"Boss?" Tony asked questioningly.

"Sherlock and Kylie are gone," Charlie said putting two and two together.

"Ya think Edwards?" Gibbs said as he went through Kylie's phone searching for where she had went.

"Where'd they go?" Lestrade asked.

"To find Thomas," Gibbs said as he went through Kylie's contacts and dialed the number he was looking for, holding it to his ear.

"Both of them? Do they even know where he is?" Tony said as he went to get his jacket and froze.

Gibbs walked over and smacked the back of his head, "Never leave your weapon unattended."

"Is that a new rule boss?" Tony joked lightly before seeing the expression on Gibb's face, "Its just common sense, sorry boss."

Gibbs looked at him before the person on the other end of the line picked up.

"John," Gibbs said, "We've got a situation."

**^#%$ &**

Sherlock jogged through the streets of London ignoring the ringing in his pocket for the fourth time. He had had the cab drop him off a couple of blocks away as to not attract attention.

He prayed that Kylie hadn't done anything idiotic, but then again, running off on her own was idiotic onto itself.

He stopped outside what he knew was where Thomas had told her to meet him. There was a cab parked outside…an empty cab….not even a driver.

That was odd.

Sherlock looked around, he didn't see the cabbie. He crept towards the cab as casually as he could, trying to appear as if he were just lingering.

He tried the door, finding it unlocked, he hopped in and began searching it. Something was off about this; he needed to figure it out. He didn't know why he didn't just run in there, but for some reason, something was telling him to go through this cab.

He pocketed the picture on the dashboard before hopping out and looking around to make sure he wasn't caught. He didn't know why he took something as simple as a picture, but something was telling him to. Little did he know that he would be damn thankful that he did a little ways down the road.

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	68. Chapter 68

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**Here's the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy it!**

****WARNING! SUPER DARK AND SLIGHTLY GRAPHIC CHAPTER!****

"Daddy's home," Thomas said with a wicked smile on his face, as he looked both of the women up and down.

Kylie stared at him fuming with hatred and burning with fear as she heard Abby whimper slightly in the corner.

Thomas walked towards where Kylie sat as she hid the pin in her hand hoping that he would turn his back so she could pick the lock and get Abby out of here safely.

"Hello gorgeous," he said as he opened the door to the cell and stepped in. Kylie felt the breath catch in her throat. Her diaphragm froze out of pure fear of the man.

_Stay strong Kylie._

"I always did dream of you in shackles," he told her as he bent down in front of her. "You to be mine, purely and only mine. Completely submissive..." he told her as he brushed some hair out of her face. Kylie shied away from his touch, as she fought the urge to vomit. "I know what's best for you Kales. You have fight in you, and as much as that turns me on, you need to stop resisting me. Your fighting a losing battle with yourself."

"What fucking messed up delusion are you having Thomas? You raped me," Kylie spat.

"You wanted it. Just like I know you want me now," Thomas said with a grin.

Kylie felt anger, fear and disgust rage through her veins as she quickly lifted her heeled boot and nailed Thomas right dead in the face with it.

Thomas cries out in pain as she inserted the pin and began picking it once more as Thomas lay on the ground for a moment in pain.

"You bitch," he cried as he sat up. Blood pouring from a cut above his eye made from Kylie's heel.

_Click_. The cuffs came undone. Kylie punched him as his dazed state from the kick was having its full effect. He hadn't been expecting the blow, and it knocked him to the ground. Kylie spotted her gun. It was lying on the counter just outside the cell. She got up and ran towards it, not taking but two steps before she felt a powerful hand around her ankle, yanking backwards and knocking her to the floor.

Kylie felt him begin to pin her down. She fought back, struggling against him as she tried to kick, punch, scratch, or hit him; anything to get him the hell off of her.

"You're mine," he growled as he pinned her fully I the ground breathing hard.

Panic set in. It was that night all over again. She swung wildly at him only to have Thomas grab her wrists, pinning them both above her head.

He looked down at her, a crazed look on her face. Kylie knew that look. It haunted her dreams. Her body shook as she tries to suppress the panic that was coming over her like a tsunami. He ripped her shirt off with one hand, leaving her in just her bra and the shards of cloth that used to be her favorite v-neck.

"Look at you," he told her, "you are shaking with anticipation, I knew you liked this."

"Get the fuck off me Thomas," Kylie said as tears rolled down her face. She knew what was next. It was her worst memory, her worst nightmare come back to life.

His hand covered her mouth with such force that Kylie was sure that she was going to have a bruise, "Trust me baby," he told her as he leaned down and whispered in her ear bringing back thoughts of that night, forcing her to relive it, "You've forgotten, I am the only one for you."

He ran a hand up and down her body. Kylie wanted to puke; he was all over her as he touched her most intimate places.

"God, I'd forgotten how beautiful you are," Thomas said as he began to unbutton his pants, grinning wildly at her.

Out of no where there was a crash through the window about ten feet away and Thomas suddenly fell on top her, lifeless. Kylie felt warmth spreading all around her, liquid warmth. Thomas wasn't moving. She could hear Abby crying behind her, as she lay there frozen, not knowing what had happened.

The door opened behind her as she heard someone sprinting towards her as she pushed Thomas off of her.

His eyes were opened widely, staring lifelessly at her. Kylie looked down; he had been shot through the back, the bullet bursting through his chest, a direct shot through the heart. The bullet must have came through the window.

"Kylie!" she heard Sherlock say breathlessly as he knelt down next to her and began to check her over. His face was pale at the sight of her. Kylie looked down at herself and fought the urge to throw up once more. She was covered, dripping with blood, Thomas's blood. Kylie felt her whole body shaking.

"You alright?" he asked, his voice slightly panicked as he noticed her shirt lying in shreds on the floor, "Did he…?"

Kylie shook her head as she stared at Thomas's lifeless body on the floor.

He was dead, shot and killed by what appeared to be a sniper… She just prayed that it wasn't her father that had been at the other end of the rifle.

She felt Sherlock touch the wound on her head where the cabbie had struck her. She winced and jumped slightly at the contact, staring at him with wide eyes.

He furrowed his brow at her; she had never looked at him like that. It was like she was expecting him to attack her at any moment.

She turned her head and saw Abby staring at Kylie and Thomas's body with fright.

Abby was still looking wide-eyed at the body. Kylie pulled herself out of Sherlock's grasp as she walked over and retrieved the key to the cell out of Thomas's pocket, unlocking the cell and uncuffing Abby. Abby went to hug her before pausing and looking at her.

"You're evidence," she said quietly.

Kylie nodded as she stared vacantly at Thomas. Her entire body was numb. She couldn't feel anything, no pain, no emotion, nothing. Sherlock entered the cell and looked over Abby carefully before urging her out of the cell.

They heard more footsteps, Sherlock pulled Abby back behind him with Kylie and pulled Tony's gun as Gibbs, Lestrade, John, Chalrie, and Tony all came in brandishing weapons. They froze when they say Thomas lying on the ground. They slowly lowered their weapons as Abby launched herself at Gibbs and Tony, finally breaking down as much as Abby could. Tony enloped her in his arms and rubbed her back as she held onto him for dear life.

Gibbs looked at Sherlock and his daughter, who had not even reacted by them entering the room, still covered in blood and staring vacantly at Thomas.

"How'd you get here?" Sherlock asked them.

"Traced your mobile," John said as he gaped at the scene before them.

"Is that hers?" Gibbs inquired softly.

"Its Thomas's," Sherlock told him, unsure of what to do. "He was dead when I got here."

Sherlock looked at Kylie. She was pale, paler than he'd ever seen her. She looked so scared, so vulnerable. He didn't know what to do. She was still shaking. She hadn't even spoken since he'd entered the room. He didn't know how to make it better, how to fix it. She had been so frightened of him when he touched her, looked as if she was expecting him to attack her. She was just staring at the body.

Lestrade and Charlie walked over to the window and up at the rooftops and buildings around them.

"It looked like the shot came in through this window," Charlie said as he turned to look at the rest of them.

John began trying to inspect Kylie's wounds, as she didn't respond to him at all.

Gibbs came over and looked out the window, "One hell of a shot."

John looked at Sherlock, "She's in shock. We need to get her to the hospital. The both of them.

"Kylie," Sherlock said gently trying to meet her eye. Her eyes snapped towards him. "Come on," he said offering her his coat to cover herself up with. He didn't like the fact that she wasn't decent with all of these people around, especially the considerably dull one Lestrade had recruited from the FBI. Kylie didn't budge as Sherlock draped his coat over her and grabbed her hand, not caring if the blood transferred onto him, and slowly pulled her outside. Gibbs followed; he needed to be sure his daughter was taken care of.

Kylie stood on the sidewalk next to Sherlock still shaking as her father walked up to her and looked her in the eye. Her face was covered with blood spatter. She looked like something out of a horror movie, or bad crime drama.

"You okay?" he asked.

Kylie looked at him as Sherlock still held her hand firmly in his, not even realizing that he was doing so.

"Did you kill him?" Kylie asked her father.

Tony and Abby walked out and joined them on the sidewalk as the others followed.

Gibbs shook his head, "I wish I could shake the hand of the person who did."

Kylie just looked at him.

"Its true Ky," Tony told her softly, "He was with me, Charlie, and Lestrade the entire time. John joined us and we all came here."

Kylie just kept staring at her father who pulled her towards him and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her temple as she shook.

"I wish I did, but I didn't kill him Ky."

At those words, Kylie lost it. She began crying in her father's arms as she gripped his coat and sobbed as he held her tight and stroked her hair like he used to do when she was a child. Sherlock watched the interaction in slight amazement. He didn't understand, why did she jump when he first tried to touch her, and yet her father could hold her like this? It didn't make sense. The only thing that a father did was donate half of his DNA. He never quite understood how people always cared for their parents. There was no such thing as "unconditional love", Sherlock hadn't believed that love existed until about three months ago. Everything in life had consequences and conditions, he knew that from experience, so then why on earth did she love her father more than she claimed she loved him?

**$&#$# **

Kylie sat with her father on the couch at Baker Street as her father got up and kissed her on the forehead before looking her in the eye.

"I have to go check on Abby, make sure she hasn't killed DiNozzo yet," his eyes searched her for a response.

Both Kylie and Abby had been cleared from the hospital and even though the nurses had cleaned Kylie up, washing all of the blood off of her, Kylie kept scrubbing her hands and arms, as if wiping imaginary blood off, wiping Thomas off.

"You okay?" he asked her as he grabbed her hands stilling them.

Kylie looked at him and nodded slowly as Sherlock walked back in the room.

Gibbs kissed her forehead once more, "I love you bug," he told her before standing up and giving Sherlock a nod goodbye before walking out the door.

Kylie just stared at the floor. Thomas was dead. She didn't know what to feel, what to think. She should be glad he was dead, but she wasn't. She didn't know why, but then again, who is glad a human being is dead? Thomas was horrible, terrible, but they shared a past. That still didn't justify why she wasn't happy that he was dead, but it was one feeling she was able to define.

She felt the couch sag a little as Sherlock sat beside her, setting a mug of tea on the table for her. They just sat there in silence for a little while.

"Its over Kylie," he told her quietly, "He cant hurt you anymore."

Kylie nodded as she scrubbed at her hand a little more.

Sherlock's hand reached out to stop her.

"Out damn spot, out I say," Kylie said quietly, "I know what Lady Macbeth was going through now."

Sherlock just stared at her, he didn't know how to respond.

"I guess I am crazy after all. I can still feel his blood on my hands, all over me."

"You haven't slept or eaten in four days and you have a concussion," Sherlock pointed out.

Kylie nodded as she pulled her legs towards herself and into a ball. She sat there for a little while before she turned to Sherlock.

"He's dead," Kylie told him in a soft voice.

"I know," Sherlock told her.

"Who killed him Sherlock?" Kylie asked with a puzzled expression on her face, "If not my father, if not John, who?"

Sherlock didn't answer. He knew exactly who had shot him, well not who, but whom had sent him. He didn't know what had happened to the man who took Kylie to begin with, the man in the cab, but the picture in his pocket had to help with that once he knew that Kylie was going to be okay.

"I don't know," Sherlock told her. He knew he should tell her, but what did it matter now that the bastard was dead. What was done was done.

Kylie nodded once more before she grabbed his hand, slowly stroking her thumb across his still bandaged knuckles.

"He almost raped me again Sherlock," Kylie told him. Sherlock felt anger surge through him. That bastard had touched her once more. He knew it, "One moment I was praying for God to help me, and the next he's lying dead on top of me."

"There's no such thing as God," Sherlock told her as he tried to control his anger towards the dead man.

"That's what you believe, I believe otherwise."

Sherlock just looked at her, biting back the rant that he so truly wanted to give her.

Kylie moved towards him and cuddled into his side, wrapping her arms around him. She just wanted to be held.

Sherlock obliged, feeling the anger leave him as he held her close.

"I just want to forget," Kylie said quietly, "I want these memories gone."

He rubbed her back as she nuzzled his neck.

"I don't know how you do it," she said quietly, "push all of these bad memories and thoughts away. Box them up in your mind palace….I wish I could do that."

Sherlock pulled back and looked at her, "Close your eyes," he told her as he placed two fingers on each temple. She looked at him curiously and obliged. He began rubbing her temples softly, calming her immediately.

"If you were to hide something away, where would you do it? Where would you bury your memories?"

"A library," Kylie said instantly.

Sherlock looked at her curiously as he stopped his rubbing momentarily.

"A massive library, hidden away in the pages of a book buried within thousands and thousands of books on shelves as far as you can see."

Sherlock shrugged slightly, made sense.

"Are you walking through it?" he asked.

"Yeah," Kylie said softly, "I'm walking into a darkened part."

"Good, walk a ways into it…..you there?"

"Yes."

"Pick a book off of a high shelf."

"Write all of my memories in it?"

"All the ones of Thomas. You wont completely forget."

"But it helps to block them out?"

"Yes."

Kylie nodded before sighing. Sherlock sat there, rubbing her temples in attempt to help her block out everything else as she buried her memories of the man who hurt her so much deep within herself. He felt her body begin to relax more and more as time passed before her eyes fluttered open.

Sherlock stopped and brushed some hair out of her face. She smiled at him slightly, it was the first smile he had seen on her face in four days. It was beautiful.

"Thank you," Kylie whispered to him.

He nodded at her. Her eyes were sparkling once again. Relief spread through him, he had his Kylie back.

Kylie yawned. Exhaustion and fatigue were taking over her body.

"Come," Sherlock said as he kissed her forehead and took her hand, pulling her up with him.

He led her into their bedroom and removed his own jacket and shirt, pulling on a t-shirt before turning and facing Kylie. She was just looking at him, standing there looking at him. He pulled some clothes out for her and walked over, tentatively placing his hands on her waist, grabbing the hem of her shirt and looked at her. He slowly pulled it up, gaging her reaction. When she didn't react, he pulled it over her head and replaced it with the camisole that she favored sleeping in.

At this point, he expected her to take over changing herself. But when he looked at her, traces of his Kylie were gone and replaced by a haunted one.

"He's gone," he told her as he snaked his hands under her camisole to remove her bra. He knew she hated sleeping in the contraption. She would complain about it constantly. He felt her stiffen when he unclasped it. He froze and looked at her, making sure it was okay for him to continue. She wasn't exposed, he had seen her do this on a number of occasions. She swallowed as if to try to calm herself and squash down the flashbacks that were happening as she put a hand on his arm. He continued and she helped him remove her bra completely.

Sherlock's hands trailed down her sides. He could feel each one of her ribs. She had lost about seven pounds in the last few days from stress and lack of food intake. He sighed while making a mental note to badger John to feed her as many calories as possible in the next few days.

He felt a hand trail down his chest, rubbing circles lightly. He looked to see Kylie looking at him, a sort of sad tired expression on her face.

_She's safe. You can let yourself feel…._

Sherlock turned and handed her her pajamas while putting on his own pajama pants. She did so before he pulled back the covers and got into bed. When he didn't feel the bed dip from her weight, he looked. Kylie was just staring at him.

He looked at her for a moment before she climbed in beside him and laid on her side facing him, tucking her head under his chin and intertwining her legs with his as he wrapped his arms around her and covered them both up before turning out the light.

He felt her grip his t-shirt lightly before he held her tighter, encase her with his body, sheltering her.

Kylie had never felt so safe, so protected as she shut her eyes and drifted off into a dreamless sleep after a nightmare of a day.

Kylie's breathing began to slow as Sherlock looked at the clock and stroked her hair. He had four hours before he had to wake her again. Until then, he focused on the picture he had stolen from the cab etched in his mind.

There was something odd about it, he didn't know what though, and until then, there was a risk that Kylie was still in danger.

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	69. Chapter 69

**Elleari: So sorry my dear! Feel free to use it! It was just an idea that popped into my head while watching Dr. Who! Loved you latest chapters btw!**

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**Here's the next chapter! It's nothing special but here it is!**

**Enjoy!**

"Kylie."

Kylie groaned and moved closer to the warmth.

"Kylie."

She was so comfortable, so relaxed.

"Kylie wake up."

Kylie opened her eyes slowly only to see a white t-shirt on a strong chest. She felt a hand run through her hair. She sighed and rubbed a hand up Sherlock's chest, fading back into sleep once more.

"Stay awake," Sherlock muttered as he kissed her hair, "You need to be up for five minutes and then you can go back to sleep."

Kylie groaned, sleep was delightful…why was it so delightful? She was exhausted, why?

…Thomas….

Kylie sat up straight, nearly knocking Sherlock off the bed once as she did so, taking him completely by surprise. Sherlock just looked at her for a moment. She was sitting stiffly, her hair mussed as she breathed heavily. She shut her eyes and took a shaky breath and her body began to relax.

_He was gone…it was over…_

Kylie turned and looked at him, a shocked look still on his face.

"Sorry," she muttered, "What time is it?"

"Two AM," he told her as he sat up, recovering from the shock of her almost knocking him off the bed.

Kylie looked at him as she rubbed her eyes and yawned, "Why'd you wake me at two in the morning?" she stopped and looked at him, "Why were you awake?"

It was odd, he slept after cases. Neither of them had slept for two days. He only didn't sleep when there was something still bothering him, a loose end. Even then, he wouldn't stay in bed. He would wait until she fell asleep and think out in the living room.

"Concussion," he told her raising an eyebrow at her.

…That's why her head hurt….

"Why'd you stay in here if you weren't sleeping?" She asked him.

Sherlock just looked at her, not particularly wanting to answer that question.

Kylie raised an eyebrow at him.

He looked at her for a moment before clearing his throat, "I think its been about five minutes."

Kylie smiled at him; he was flustered and blushing slightly. She moved herself back under the covers a little more, scooting closer to him as she layback down on the pillows.

She just looked at him watching her before she reached out and rubbed his arm. He sighed before he lay back down on his side facing Kylie, moving his arm underneath her head. Kylie smiled and moved downwards so she was snuggled into his chest as she used his bicep for a pillow.

Sherlock wrapped his arms around her as her hand began rubbing circles on his torso.

They just lay there for a moment taking comfort in each other.

"I don't know what to feel Sherlock," Kylie said quietly.

"Then don't feel," he said simply.

Kylie looked up at him curiously, "That's how you deal, you turn off your ability to feel the world around you?"

Sherlock looked at her as if she had lost her mind. It was a simple ability; he didn't know why she just didn't do it.

"That's amazing," She told him, as she looked at him with a curious fascination, "Simply amazing I wish I could do that."

He just looked at her, puzzled, "Its simple," he told her.

"For you," Kylie said as she cuddled back into him once more, "You are able to control your mind and emotions. No one else can. You can fool yourself into thinking you cant feel."

"I cant."

"Yes you can, you are a human being, not a robot."

"Most people wouldn't agree with that statement."

"Most people don't see the real you," Kylie said as she began drawing random shapes on his torso, "Those of us who do know that as much as you deny it, you really are one of the most emotionally chaste human being that I have ever met."

Sherlock glared at the wall as Kylie's head was tucked under his chin once more.

"Don't glare, its true," she told him as her eyes shut, "I can feel you glaring."

Sherlock rolled his eyes; it was a lucky guess that she knew he was glaring. He pulled her tighter against him and she sighed with contentment.

"Sleep," he whispered to her as he kissed her hair once more.

"As long as you sleep too," she told him sleepily before she drifted off.

He felt her breathing slow as he planted another kiss in her hair and wondered if he had done the right thing by involving Mycroft in this whole thing. Thomas was gone, and she was safe…Killing was wrong in any situation, but Thomas had hurt thousands of people, not to mention the woman that lay in his arms. He knew that it was right that Thomas was killed, but that didn't make it less of an issue held over his head.

Kylie's safe… your friends are safe…. that's all that matters…

**^#%#*$**

"Kylie, this is a big trauma," Witham argued, as they sat in his living room once more, "You can't just say that you are fine after that!"

"Well, I am," Kylie, said stubbornly. She knew that this brought up fears and feelings that she didn't want, but at least she could sleep again.

Witham glared at her, "Kylie, you were almost raped and your ex boyfriend was shot and killed while he was on top of you. You were covered in his blood!"

Kylie sat there quietly. Putting the memories in her mind library had helped…. a lot, God knows she would be a complete wreck if she did not.

"Talking about it will help. You need to resolve this and put it behind you so you can heal once and for all from this," Witham pushed gently.

Kylie stared at the ground for a moment before drawing her oversized sweater around her.

"I don't know how I feel about him being dead Witham," she said quietly after a few moments.

"What do you mean?"

"He raped me, he put my friends in danger, he killed thousands of innocent people for fun, and I am sad that he is dead. How in the hell am I mourning his loss Witham? I mean how messed up in the head do I have to be?"

"He was a part of your life for a very long time Kylie. You were in a relationship for two years. You almost married him."

"I thought I loved him."

"You don't think you did?"

"How could I have loved someone who did that to me?"

"Feelings are irrational."

"You sound like Sherlock."

"Mr. Holmes has a point. Yes, they are normal, but emotions are emotions because they do not logically make sense sometimes."

Kylie just stared at him, "but why am I mourning him?"

Witham shrugged, "A part of you is remembering that part of him you fell in love with, the part you knew before he hit you, before he raped you. It's perfectly normal."

"You don't think I have Stockholm syndrome?"

Witham laughed, "Oh Dr. Gibbs, I can assure you that you don't have Stockholm. You wanted to stop this from the beginning."

Witham paused, "Have you and Mr. Holmes been intimate lately?"

Kylie gaped at him, "First of all, not talking about that. Second of all, it's none of your business, and third of all, I was almost raped yesterday…"

"Your rapist is dead, that should help you move on and heal in your sexuality."

"Oh, my sexuality is healthy and does not need to be healed."

Witham raised an eyebrow at her, "Just take it slow coming back. You have been through a lot Dr. Gibbs, the flashbacks will return if you rush into it. You and Mr. Holmes need to talk more about the emotional side of your relationship rather than focusing on cases and just the physical."

Kylie looked at him, "You know nothing about our relationship. And trust me, we talk plenty."

"About what?"

"We do talk about our feelings, our relationship, what we need…"

"How do you talk about it? Has Mr. Holmes came to you with needs?"

"Yes, he is human, he has needs."

"Like what?"

Kylie narrowed her eyes at him.

"No," she told him flatly, "oh, no, I see what you are doing you slimy bastard."

"Dr. Gibbs, if I offended you…"

"You are writing a paper on us aren't you?"

Witham shut his mouth, he was indeed. He wasn't naming them, just discussing the nature of their relationship and how it should not work, but it did. They were fascinating subjects, two completely different people with similar intellect. He had not been asking to find out information; he would never use Kylie's private sessions as information for his book.

"Dr. Gibbs, there has been a serious misunderstanding between this.."

"You are writing a paper?"

"I would never EVER use your private sessions as a source for it."

Kylie stood up and grabbed her stuff, dripping with rage.

"Dr. Gibbs, wait!"

"No Witham, that is low."

"I'm using relationships at the Yard to write this paper. I am not naming you or dissecting your relationship due to either of your pasts, just exploring on how you make it work when you shouldn't be able to. I want to help you with this, and I have already. Just please, hear me out."

Kylie paused at the door, she needed his help… she knew he wasn't really that low of a person to use her private sessions due to her rape in a public document. Deep down she knew Witham couldn't hurt a fly.

She turned and glared at him, "You have two minutes to explain, if I still don't like it, I'm out the door."

"You and Mr. Holmes have one of the most interesting intrapersonal relationships I have ever seen. I have just been observing you at the office and I swear Dr. Gibbs, that is it."

"You had our medical history. That's how you knew Sherlock was abused."

"Yes, that was a mistake on my behalf but I needed to understand where you both came from in order to develop a thesis."

Witham sighed as Kylie glared at him, "Look, Dr. Gibbs, I will help you with profiles. I have solved four cases for the two of you based on the psychological profile that I have given. Let me observe the two of you, talk about your relationship in its own setting, and I will give you a profile any time of the day, whenever you need it."

Kylie thought about it for a moment, they could use his help. As annoying as he was, he actually was quite brilliant. Plus, they could teach him a lesson or two with this deal.

"I promise that nothing you tell me in these sessions will be included in my paper. These are closed sessions, your records are sealed."

"Fine," Kylie told him, "I have to talk to Sherlock, but you can only use sessions that are scheduled directly for that."

"Of course," Witham said sighing with relief.

Kylie smiled at him, "See you later."

Kylie pulled out her phone and called Sherlock…Oh they were going to have fun with this.

**Review?**


	70. Chapter 70

**A huge thanks to all of my reviewers! I love you guys! **

**Thanks to Goldbee, optimistic Livvy, Oreal770, thegirlwiththebrowneyes, gwilwillith, ChelGallifreya221B613, holmesiswheretheheartis, and rainbowassassin (its not always what it seems!) for their reviews!**

**Here's the next one! **

**I don't know when I will update next! I'm going out of town and wont know if A) I'll have time, or B) have Internet. So I will hopefully update soon, but I don't know!  
**

**Enjoy!**

"What do you think of these?"

"Mary it's your wedding! What do you think?"

"Kylie you are the one who is going to be wearing it!"

"What are your colors again?"

Kylie and Mary were sitting in Baker Street flipping through bridal magazine after bridal magazine. They were currently on the hunt for bride's maid dresses, and Mary was freaking out.

"Kylie, I don't know!" Mary wined.

Kylie flashed a smile at her friend. The boys were out doing…. God knows what and they had the flat to themselves in order to plan the wedding.

"What colors do you want?" Kylie asked.

"I don't know! I'm thinking of silver and an emerald green, but I don't want to make it look like a Christmas wedding! Then there's grey and yellow, but that's drab and I think john would shoot me…"

"Have you asked John?"

Mary raised an eyebrow at her, "He still thinks it's a Dalek themed wedding."

Kylie burst out laughing, "You're kidding!"

"No," Mary said laughing, "I thought he realized it was a joke but due to stress and being in the hospital…I've been a little….crazy…"

Kylie snorted, "That's an understatement…"

Mary threw a magazine at her friend, laughing along with her.

Mary had been a tad bit crazy. Right before this whole thing with Thomas had happened, John had called her in the middle of the night asking her to come over while she heard Mary screaming and crying in the background all because the doylies she had ordered were the wrong shade of white…. Because apparently, there were shades of white…

"Any way," Mary continued, "I don't think he realizes what to believe anymore when I talk because I have been hanging out with you too much and your sarcasm brushes off on me."

"I am not," Kylie said sarcastically as she smiled at Mary.

Mary laughed slightly, "So I was bored half to death in the hospital and we were talking about colors. I made a comment about which colors he wanted and joked about what would go with a Dalek again and he sort of froze and told me it was whatever I thought would go best with the metal balls."

"You kept him going about it?" Kylie asked nearly crying from laughter.

Mary grinned, "its way too much fun not to."

"You are terrible my friend," Kylie told her grinning wildly.

Mary looked at her smiling, "You are trying to think of ways to keep the joke going and scare the shit out of my fiancé aren't you?"

"Pretty much."

Mary laughed, "Poor John, here we are abusing him and the man cant even get off. I mean our wedding night is going to be AMAZING, but I am dying Kylie. I didn't realize it would be this hard to keep our hands off of each other."

"You two haven't had sex in a month. That has to be a record…" Kylie said poking fun at Mary, "You used to whore around…"

A pillow was thrown at Kylie as she laughed.

"You and Sherlock are going to taunt the fact that the two of you have sex and he cant aren't you?"

"Sherlock and I wont for a little bit," Kylie said with a sad smile after a moment.

Mary's face fell, "I'm sorry that happened to you."

"Its okay Mary, I mean I want to. Sherlock thinks I'm a fragile doll, and Witham thinks I have PTSD from this."

"You had a lot to go through."

"I know," Kylie sighed, "but I just need to get my head straight."

She was quiet for a moment, "I still don't know who killed him."

"You sure it wasn't Sherlock?" Mary asked gently, "I mean he was on top of you and ripped your shirt off."

"I'm positive. I didn't hear a gunshot, so it was from far away and Sherlock came in from the opposite side. My Dad was with John and arrived too soon with Tony and everyone else for it to have been them…"

"Are you sad he's dead?" Mary asked.

Kylie shook her head, "I don't know why Mary."

"He deserves what he got Kylie, but he was a part of your life and a human being. No matter how terrible he was, murder is not the right thing."

Kylie sighed, "You're right. I know…"

Mary glanced at the clock, "Look its five now, meaning that it is socially acceptable for us to drink. Lets go get some boxed wine and drink while we finish this and wait for the boys to get back while we think of more Dalek wedding ideas."

Kylie laughed and stood up, putting on her coat, "Well, at least this will make the wedding look REALLY good to John when he sees the real thing."

"I know. I'm shocked he's still with me," Mary said as they walked out the door and down the steps.

"The fact that he is not getting laid and will still marry you in a Dalek themed wedding shows that he is a damn good man who is head over heels for you Mary," Kylie told her as she turned and locked the door.

Mary was silent. Kylie turned and stared at a young woman in tattered and dirty clothes that stood before her. The woman was dressed in what looked like dirty designer clothes. Her hair was dirty and mussed as if she hadn't brushed it in months. She was shaking badly, as if she was coming off of something. It wasn't a fearful shaking, even though her eyes were paranoid as she looked at her and Mary.

"Can I help you?" Kylie asked gently.

"Sh…Sh…Sherlock Holmes lives here," the woman said with a slight stutter and tweak.

Mary looked at Kylie; the woman was obviously on something.

"I know, I live here too," Kylie told her, "Do you need to speak with him?"

The woman looked at her shocked, "You live with him?"

Kyle raised an eyebrow at her, "Yes, I'm sorry. Do you know him personally?"

The woman stared her up and down with haunting eyes before moving her arm up and running it through her dirty hair. As she moved her arm up, her sleeves fell briefly down revealing angry looking scars on her wrists. Not just a scar from any old thing, intentional cuts across her wrists. Ones that had been opened many times.

"What does he see in you?" the woman asked, taking both Mary and Kylie by surprise.

"I'm sorry?" Kylie asked her, thoroughly confused.

"What do you have that I don't?" the woman asked as she began to back away towards the street corner.

"I don't follow, I'm sorry. Look can I buy you a cup of tea?" Kylie asked as the woman walked away before reaching the corner where she turned and ran.

Kylie stared after her. Sherlock knew her, or at least she knew him. She was homeless, and Kylie knew that Sherlock worked a lot with the homeless network, making their lives easier. Kylie just had no idea why he did, he would tell her when he was ready.

"What in the hell was that?" Mary asked, "I would say jealous ex, but you are dating Sherlock Holmes."

Kylie nodded as she stared after her.

"Now I really think you need that wine," Mary said hooking her arm with Kylie's and taking her down the street towards the store.

Kylie's mind was barely on the conversation that Mary was having with her as she thought about the woman. The woman was an addict, and Kylie knew that Sherlock was careful to avoid the addicts when he was using his homeless network. He mainly relied on orphans who grew up on the street. Those who have just had tough times, avoiding the junkies like the plague.

Her mind then went to the periodic table.

"_Look behind the table Kales, you'll find out your saint of a boyfriend is worse than I am."_ She heard Thomas's voice say.

The curiosity was killing her. Thomas must have planted it, she needed to trust him, not play the game.

_Thomas is dead, there is no game._

"Kylie?" Mary asked, snapping her out of her trance.

Kylie blinked and looked around her, they were in the store…how had she missed that?

"Sorry," Kylie said shaking her head and smiling at her, "What were you saying?"

Mary frowned at her as she grabbed the bigger of the two bottles and picked up two of them along with tequila, placing them in the basket that she was holding.

"I was just going to get a small bottle, but that girl messed you up didn't she?"

Kylie frowned and looked at the basket, "Are you trying to kill your liver? And no, I was thinking about other things."

"Other things?" Mary said raising an eyebrow as they walked to the counter and paid for it, "And I'm getting you messed up. You need it Kylie, after everything you went through."

"I do not _need_ to get drunk."

"Yes, you do. I am English Kylie, Americans do it differently apparently, but in my family, rough day = drink," Mary said as she took Kylie's money and handed the cashier her credit card and then shoved Kylie's money back into her hand, "I got this, and you didn't answer my question."

"First of all, Witham doesn't want me drinking," Kylie told her as they walked out the door and back towards Baker Street.

"Fuck what Witham says. He was writing a paper on you and Sherlock behind your back!"

"But the deal we got out of it is going to be the greatest revenge yet," Kylie said smirking.

"What other things Kylie?"

"Mary you are worse than Witham!" Kylie groaned.

"What other things? You and Mr. Hot and sexy detective having issues again? Because that is the only time Witham told you not to drink."

"Just something Thomas said," Kylie told her.

"What? Because you know he's a lying bastard and it must have really gotten to you if you are still hung up about it."

Kylie sighed, "he told me to look behind the periodic table in our room. There's something behind there that proves that Sherlock is a worse man than Thomas."

"Sherlock is nothing like Thomas."

"I know that!"

"What'd you find?"

"I didn't look."

"WHAT? What do you mean you didn't look? Oh sweetie no wonder it is eating you up!"

"I know its just going to be something that Thomas placed there and I trust Sherlock. Its Thomas's goal to break us up and I'm not playing it."

Mary was just looking at her.

"What?" Kylie asked as they rounded onto Baker Street.

"You just are talking about Thomas as if he was still alive."

Kylie looked at the ground, thankful that they were at the door and she had to open it, giving her something to do with her hands.

They took the steps in silence, opening the door to the flat.

"Good for you for trusting him," Mary told her as she took off her jacket, "I trust John with my life and I would have trouble not looking into that."

Kylie smiled and grabbed wine glasses and the corkscrew, bringing them out into the living room.

"Oh no," Mary said with a wicked smile, "We are doing shots."

"Mary no!" Kylie wined, "I cannot drink tequila…I have bad side effects from that drink."

"Hang over?"

"No… I um…. Tequila makes my clothes…. fall off."

Mary busted out laughing, "Even better!"

"Mary, can we just drink wine?"

"Kylie, you had a terrible week, you need to relax. So lets just get…." Mary looked at her with wide eyes and a smile, "lets go dancing!"

Kylie's eyes widened, "no!"

"Come on Kylie!" Mary said, "What could be more fun then dressing slightly like a hooker, looking hot as hell, and making fun of the men who come and hit on us to their face because we just want to dance and come home to the men that we love?"

Kylie looked at her before busting out laughing.

Mary raised an eyebrow.

Kylie looked at her, "could you imagine Sherlock at a club?"

Mary took half a second to think about it before she was bent over from laughter.

"I think that he would stroke!"

Kylie wiped the tears from her eyes, "I know!"

"Lets go! Maybe he'll come in after you!" Mary said bouncing with excitement after recovering from her laughter.

"Mary, we are WAY too old to go into clubs!"

"Kylie you are 28 and so am I," Mary told her as she began dragging her into John's old room with her wardrobe, "We can still get into the club. Plus, we are sexy as hell, so we can get free drinks all night."

Kylie shook her head at her friend, "you are crazy."

"I'm planning a wedding," Mary said as she began looking through the closet throwing some clothes on the bed, "Of course I'm crazy."

**^#%#*$**

"Mary," Kylie said as she stumbled slightly in her pumps as they walked into the loud club, "How in the hell did I let you talk me into this? I look like a hooker."

"You took the four shots I gave you," Mary said with a smile looking at her and smiling, yelling over the music, "You look hot!"

Mary had dressed Kylie in a short, high waisted teal skirt with a black tank top. Curling her hair and forcing her to wear makeup similar to that Irene had done on her a few months earlier. Mary was wearing something similar, and Kylie had to admit, she didn't look her normal self, but she did in fact look "hot" as she put it.

Kylie felt stares on them as they walked over to the bar and ordered a drink before resigning to a table, taking in the scene around them.

"John is going to freak that you are here you know," Kylie said taking a sip of her mojito, regretting getting it. She loved these things, and damn Mary for making her severely tipsy.

"John texted me," Mary said waving her hand at her, "He and Sherlock are off in Devon doing something. They wont be back till much later tonight."

"This is terrible Mary," Kylie said smiling at her. She hated clubs, she hated the male attention, but she had to admit (even though it was most likely the alcohol talking) she was having fun.

A man sauntered over to them. He was confident, cocky, and unfortunately extremely good-looking.

"You two ladies look like you have heard every line in the book," he said with a smile.

Kylie and Mary raised their eyebrows at him.

"So I figured what's one more going to hurt?" he asked.

Kylie snorted into her drink, trying not to laugh.

"Oh lay it on us," Mary said with fake intrigue.

"Well you two certainly are beautiful," the man said with a smirk.

Mary and Kylie just looked at him.

"I feel like I have seen you two ladies somewhere before, have I?" he asked.

Kylie raised an eyebrow, that was a terrible line…though she hated lines to begin with…too bad the tequila was making her far too brave.

"Yeah, you have," she said flirtatiously.

The man smiled and turned towards her smiling.

"That's why we don't go there anymore," Kylie smirked taking a sip of her drink as Mary flat out laughed out loud.

"Fair enough," the man said smiling, "You ladies can't resist my charm."

"Tell me," Kylie asked him…she wanted this guy to go away, she wanted to dance, "Do you practice your pick up routine on your blowup dolls?"

The man looked at her shocked.

"Because we don't think that any women really fall for this stuff," Mary said with a smile.

"Now that's not fair girls," the man said, slightly peeved.

"Yeah it is," Kylie told him finishing her drink and feeling it directly in her head.

"I'm engaged and she has a boyfriend," Mary told him as she showed him her ring and got up pulling a pretty tipsy Kylie with her and pulling her out on the dance floor.

***$^%$O#**

"So we just went to Devon all day chasing a guy who is in the wind?" John asked as they got out of the cab in front of Baker street at three in the morning, "We don't even know what the cabbie looks like!"

Sherlock ignored him as he opened the front door as John's phone rang. He looked at it questioningly before seeing it was Mary and picked up.

"What are you doing up so late?" he asked with a smile.

"John," he heard Kylie slur on the other end of the line, "Your fiancé is a very bad woman."

"Kylie?" John asked stopping Sherlock in his tracks.

"She wants to be spanked…" Kylie slurred giggling like a four year old.

"Is that John…Oh Ow!" he heard Mary say in the background before he heard a crash, not only on the phone, but from upstairs.

Sherlock glanced at him before bounding up the stairs, John close behind.

"Is Sherlock there?" they heard Kylie ask as they opened the door and saw her swaying as she stood in living room and Mary lay on the floor laughing, "Tell him he needs to wear jeans. He'd look hot in jeans."

The men gaped at them. Both women were dressed up, hair done (though it was pretty mussed from dancing) and make up on. More makeup than both of them usually wore. Mary looked pretty normal except for being absurdly giggly, and on the floor, where as Kylie however was another story. She was wearing a short skirt that was slightly hiked up, making it as short as it could go before she began revealing her body. She was missing an earing, both of her shoes, and her shirt; leaving her in just her tight skirt and a camisole she wore as an undershirt, the top of her bra peaking out from underneath it.

"Jeans and no shirt," Kylie said swaying as neither of the women had noticed that they were standing there, "My panties would drop so fast…." Kylie held the phone and looked at the screen before turning and almost falling to look at Mary, "your bastard fiancé hung up on me!"

Mary giggled on the ground and lifted her head, noticing the men for the first time.

"JOHN!" Mary said loudly as she tried to get up, only falling down again.

Kylie turned and saw him, "YOU HUNG UP ON ME!"

"Oh dear God," John whispered amused as Sherlock stared in horror at his girlfriend.

Kylie turned and helped Mary up as the two of them giggled and hugged each other.

"Where have you boys been?" Kylie asked drunkenly as she and Mary supported each other as they walked to where John and Sherlock stood.

"Do you two have a secret relationship we should know about?" Mary asked, "Because when you two left, I had to do things to Kylie, things I would have done to you." She told John as his face went into shock and Kylie failed to hide her laughter.

"You two do the same to each other don't you?" Mary asked as she swayed with Kylie, "That'd be a sight to see."

"I'm not gay!" John said in exasperation.

"We see how you two look at each other," Kylie laughed before walking forward into Sherlock's chest and shoving her face into the crook of his neck. Sherlock looked at her in shock at the assault as she tried to cuddle him with out moving her arms.

John just gaped at Mary who was grinning wildly at him. "You sleep with me!"

"And right now she wants you to spank her," Kylie said, the words muffled as her face was still in Sherlock's neck as he stood still, not moving his arms as she looked at if she was trying to head butt his carotid artery

Mary flung her arm out to hit Kylie, but instead flailed and threw herself off balance, nearly falling before John caught her.

"What in the hell did the two of you do?" John asked in amazement. Neither of them ever got blatantly wasted like this.

"Tequila makes my clothes fall off," Kylie said pulling her head out of Sherlock's neck momentarily before shoving her face back in.

Sherlock gave John a bewildered look at John stifled a laugh.

"You two did shots?" John asked.

"Mary made me!" Kylie argued pulling her head out again and looking at Mary like a pouting child.

"We dance. And had a really really really good time," Mary told him.

" You went to a club?" John said laughing as he picked Mary up, "Come on, lets get you home."

"What are you going to do to me Dr. Watson?" Mary slurred playfully as John carried her out the door before John stopped and looked at Sherlock.

"Good luck," he said before leaving.

Sherlock turned and looked at Kylie. She was looking at her nails with fascination as she swayed on the spot.

"Did you wear that out in public?" he asked, slightly peeved that his girlfriend had been out half naked.

"Tequila makes my clothes fall off," she told him, here eyes seemed bigger than usual in that her blue orbs stared at him widely, glazed over from the alcohol.

"You drank tequila?" Sherlock asked as she swayed violently and he grabbed her shoulders to steady her.

"Mary bought it after we met a woman you knew," Kylie informed him as her eyes closed and face paled.

"A woman I knew?' Sherlock asked as he began to lead her towards the bathroom, knowing what she was about to do.

"Yeah, she was homeless, and asked me if this is where you lived and what I had that she didn't, "Kylie looked at him, "It was like she was your Thomas, your psycho ex." She smiled at him as his face fell, he knew who it was…at least he thought he did, "But I know I'm your…" Kylie paused and looked around, "Why are we…" She trailed off before running to the toilet and retching violently.

Sherlock sighed; he had seen this enough with John to what she was going through. He walked over to her and grabbed her long hair, keeping it out of the way as she threw up violently. She was dry heaving as Sherlock rubbed her back slowly while his thoughts ran at a thousand miles an hour.

How could she have found him? That was a lifetime ago. She had gotten the message. What had changed? Something had to have. She wasn't in a good place, like he had been when they met…. And she had talked to Kylie, which was the last thing he wanted. He didn't know if she was stable. . .

Kylie stopped and flushed the toilet before wiping her mouth. She looked at him; she seemed more sober than before. She climbed into his lap and put her arms around him, placing her head on his shoulder. She felt like crap, the world was spinning from her drunkenness. Curse Mary.

Sherlock's arms wrapped around her and held her tight and she felt herself being lifted and carried before she was laid down on the bed. Covers were pulled over her and Kylie was asleep before the covers even touched her skin.


	71. Chapter 71

Thanks to all of my amazing reviewers! I cant thank you all individually because I am typing this on my phone as I sit in the car. But I love you all!

Here's the next chapter! Forgive the mistakes…autocorrect be damned….

Kylie groaned

Her head hurt.

Why?

...tequila... Way too much tequila...

Damn Mary...

She opened one eye, immediately regretting it. The light made her head throb even more. She sat up slowly with her eyes shut, willing the pain to go away. She couldn't even remember the last time she was hung over... Or drunk.

Kylie froze as she flashed back to the night she had found Sherlock covered in lipstick and half naked as Irene had walked out of his flat. She had drunk herself into sleep and thanks to Witham and trying not to remember that night, she had avoided it like the plague. Well, at least she could trust Sherlock. She had acted like an idiot.

Kylie opened her eyes once more as she sat in the bed alone, only to find that the pain had lessened. She looked at what she had opened her eyes to... How ironic after her prior thoughts.

...the periodic table...

The curiosity was killing her. She was alone, she could look.

No... She trusted him. She had been an idiot before with the whole Irene thing; she wasn't about to make that same mistake again.

She shut her eyes trying to dull the haze in her mind. She was far too hung over for all of this.

She stood up and looked down at herself. She was still in her clothes from last night... Well what was left after the tequila.

She quickly took them off and threw on her yoga pants and her father sweatshirt before slowly walking out into the living room, her head throbbing with each step she took.

Kylie heard make voices stop talking as she walked out into the room. She saw Sherlock at the table looking at her strangely as Charlie was trying not to laugh while John and Mary smirked at her wildly.

"Good morning sunshine," Charlie said smirking.

Kylie winced through the pain at Charlie's words.

"sh.." Kylie hushed as she slowly walked towards the kitchen, grabbing onto walls for support. "coffee..." she said as she walked into the kitchen finding a freshly made pot.

God bless Sherlock Holmes...

She poured herself a cup and walked over to the table slowly sitting down ad taking a sip of the glorious beverage in her hand, feeling a little better with each sip.

John handed her an aspirin and she took it thankfully. Everyone was staring at her with amusement while Sherlock looked half annoyed. Kylie glared at Mary.

"I hate you," she muttered into her coffee.

Mary grinned, "you needed that. Admit it. Plus I know you had fun."

"How in the hell are you cheery?" Kylie asked, "You had more than I did!"

"I'm English," Mary said with a smile, "plus I don't get hung over."

Kylie glared, "words can not express how much I hate you right now."

Mary smirked.

Kylie looked at Charlie, "why are you here?"

Charlie shrugged, "still suspended. I had nothing else to do."

Kylie felt the aspirin kicking in, giving her more help as Sherlock got up, huffing slightly in annoyance at all these people in his flat... Well more with the fact that Charlie and Mary were there.

She raised an eyebrow at Charlie as Sherlock walked into the kitchen, "no tramps to hangout with?"

Mary barked out a laugh, "Sally hasn't called back yet?"

Kylie's eyes went wide, "no..."

Charlie just played with his phone

"Donovan? Ew... Charlie, that's. Ad even for you," Kylie said as she went to take a sip of coffee and Sherlock pulled it out of her hand ago replace it with water.

"Hey!" Kylie objected as he took her coffee away and set it in the counter in the kitchen, "I wasn't done with that."

"Hangovers as you call them, are because you are severely dehydrated from the absurdly idiotic amount of alcohol you drank last night. Coffee will only exemplify that in that it is a diarrheic," Sherlock told her as he walked back and took his regular seat next to her at the table, opening his paper once more, "two glasses f water then you can have coffee."

Kylie looked at her boyfriend, "since when did you become my Dad?" she muttered before drinking her water begrudgingly.

John stifled a laugh; Sherlock has seemed incredibly father like when he had told her that.

Sherlock turned back to his paper, as he was satisfied that Kylie was drinking her water when Mary stood up.

"Well, we'll be off," she said as she pulled John up with her, "we have to ginger the site settled for the wedding."

Charlie remained where he was before Mary glared at him, "oh..." he said jumping up and looking at a skeptical Kylie and Sherlock, "I have... A ... Thing"

They all walked our and Kylie tuned to Sherlock, "What was that about?"

Sherlock looked at her with a puzzled expression before shrugging.

Kylie sighed and ran a ran through her muss if curls still from the night before.

"Sorry about last night," Kylie told him, "I still don't know how Mary talked me into that."

Sherlock just looked at her blankly.

Kylie sighed, "I know you're annoyed with me right now. But I never do that."

"Take your clothes off in public?" Sherlock said disapprovingly as he picked up his paper again.

Kylie stared at paper for a second before pulling it down sharply and glaring at him.

"I realize that you disapprove but you know what Sherlock? I could be doing a lot worse," Kylie snapped before she stood up and walked into the bathroom.

Sherlock sat there slightly stunned, he was peeved at her, but why was she angry with him?

Kylie stomped back out of the bathroom in frustration, "you really think that I am that big of a whore Sherlock?"

Sherlock's eyes widened... She was overreacting once more...

"I mean seriously? You think that I was asking to get raped? That I brought it on myself? Because I didn't Sherlock!" Kylie said as he just looked at her.

He didn't know what to do, how to handle her?

She just started talking once more as he got up and walked over to her, putting his arms around her and pulling her close.

She just stopped talking and placed her forehead in his shoulder. Her body was tense, angry.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, not really knowing why he was apologizing, he just knew she was upset with him. He felt her beginning to relax, only fully relaxing when he kissed her hair. She didn't smell like she usually did, she still reeked of alcohol with a hint of her usual lavender and vanilla.

She hugged him back and moved even closer to him. She didn't know how, but he had a way of making all of her problems go away when he just held her.

Kylie pulled her head back and looked at him, "I overreacted. I'm sorry. Thank you for apologizing," she told him smiling before she kissed him briefly and walked into the bathroom for a shower.

Sherlock frowned; she tasted like alcohol…not Kylie…

**^#%#&$#**

"Eat."

"Why? You don't eat."

"I'm working a case."

"You just got off a case. What's your new one?"

"One that you can't work on because you are teaching."

"I'm not teaching right now."

Silence.

"Eat."

"Not until you do. I know you Sherlock, you don't eat for weeks."

"I'm not the one who lost seven pounds in four days."

"I don't know how you don't. Plus, I needed to lose some weight anyways."

"No you didn't."

"I could stand to lose a few."

"You can see every single one of your ribs."

"Which is why you should eat, because soon, you will keel over and die if you don't."

"That's statistically improbable."

"It's an exaggeration, but you get my point."

"I'll call John."

"No, you wont."

"I'm doing it."

"No, you have John on speed dial and you wont call him because, yes, he will make me eat and lecture me until sunset, but he also lived with you for almost 3 years and knows how little you eat and he will do the same to you which is what you do not want."

Sherlock glared at his girlfriend. They were sitting at the table looking at the meal that Mrs. Hudson had left them. Kylie, due to her hangover did not feel like ingesting anything while Sherlock was trying his best to hunt down the cabbie that had kidnapped Kylie without her knowledge.

He had been trying to get her to eat something for the last twenty minutes, but her stubborn nature prevented her from taking a bite until he had eaten everything also.

Sherlock just glared at her and put down his phone, eyeing the food. He really did not want her to win this battle, but if she didn't eat something soon, she was going to most likely collapse. Since this whole thing had been over five days ago, Kylie had only managed to eat one or two meals. She had dropped about ten pounds now off of her already thin frame. Her runner's body was turning into skin and bones. Her hipbones were beginning to jet out and Sherlock could feel every individual rib when he held her close.

Kylie raised an eyebrow at him. She was always trying to get him to eat while they were on cases. She said he would think better if he had. So their _caring_ had turned into this…a pissing contest…

Sherlock rolled his eyes and took a bite of the sandwich, causing Kylie to smile and take a drink of her coffee, which she had "earned" back.

Sherlock looked at her expactantly, wiping the smile off her face. Crap, now she had to eat.

She sighed and took a bite, fair is fair.

Sherlock set his sandwhich back down and began looking thorugh an old case file while she ate.

"What are you working on?" she asked, not really noticing that he wasnt still eating.

"Nothing," Sherlock said simply.

She raised an eyebrow...Bull...

"I met of friend of yours yesterday," she told him as he paled slightly, "At least I think you knew her. She said she knew you."

Crap, he had really been hoping she'd forget about that.

"She looked homeless, yet had on dirty designer clothes," Kylie said looking at him, "Dark- hair, grey eyes, on a drug of some sort?"

"No idea," Sherlock lied not even looking at her. She had no idea...and it needed to stay that way.

"oh," Kylie frowned as she looked back at her food and set it down, "It was sad. She had cuts all up her arm..."

"What?" Sherlock asked before realizing it.

She wasnt in a good place. Not in a good place and looking for him. He'd never thought she's harm herself. She was above that.

"Yeah, she had been cutting herself for a while," she said sadly looking down at her food. That was a strange reaction, but he told her he didnt know her, so she'd believe that. "Her cuts had been opened multiple times for a couple of years."

Sherlock swallowed and looked back down at the food, trying to avoid Kylie's eye as he processed this information. She had to stay out of this, for her own safety.

"It was odd though," she told him as she picked up her coffee, "She was almost like judging me. Seeing if I was worthy to know you."

Sherlock looked at her.

"She asked me what I had that she didnt. Asked me what you saw in me."

Sherlock's heart dropped... it was worse than he thought.

"Weird that a woman who didnt know you would act like that," Kylie said looking at him.

Sherlock just stared, his heart rate elevated.

Kylie shrugged, "There are crazy people everywhere. Must think she must know you from the papers and all. I hear there are people who write stories about celebreties. Crazy right?"

Sherlock nodded as she got up and kissed him on the cheek before picking up her dish and walking to the sink to wash it and put it away.

Sherlock sat there staring at the file, not reading it. He didnt know why he lied...well, actually he did. She was his past. Kylie didnt need to know. He didnt need that weight on her back, he didnt need to bring her to that world, that danger.

She wasnt well, Kylie didnt need that in her life.

He just hoped that he could keep her out of this, and not down the path that he had led others down before.


	72. Chapter 72

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! You guys are amazing! Based on the fact that I am still out of town and cannot look at the site while typing this to thank you, I will thank you as a whole!**

**I am driving back tomorrow, so I will hopefully update soon!**

**Here's the next one!**

**Forgive any mistakes…typed on a phone once more…**

"Did you ask him about the mystery woman?" Mary asked as she and Kylie were seated in her and John's flat sorting wedding invites for the wedding that was now six months away.

"Yeah I did. He doesn't know her," Kylie said as she stuffed an envelope.

Mary looked at her friend, "That woman obviously knew him."

Kylie looked at her, "She was also obviously tripping," she told her before shrugging, "Plus, Sherlock says he doesn't know her and so that's what I believe."

Mary raised an eyebrow at her. It was really amazing how much she trusted Sherlock after this whole thing with Thomas. If this situation had been her, even without the past with Thomas, Mary most likely would have killed John and looked the moment she had heard about the periodic table. She trusted John completely and fully, but it took a lot more than just that not to let curiosity win the battle.

"What?" Kylie asked as she stuffed an envelope.

Mary smiled at her, "That takes a lot of love and trust not to let that get under your skin."

Kylie shrugged, "I messed up before not trusting him and I lost him for worst couple months in my life. I know I can trust him, I just have to let myself."

Mary smiled at her.

"I swear to God if the two of you don't get married, I'm making you a wedding and you WILL."

Kylie laughed, "Trust me Mary, that will never happen."

Just then, John walked into the flat huffing slightly.

"Do you know what's wrong with Sherlock?" he asked slightly angry, "because I seriously don't know what is up with him. He nearly but my head off as soon as I walked into your flat."

Kylie raised an eyebrow, that wasn't like him. Well, okay, maybe it was... But not with John.

"No idea," Kylie said, "I mean it could be the fact that he doesn't have a case."

"No, he has one," John said without thinking as Kylie frowned.

John realized his mistake and looked at Kylie with wide eyes.

"What case John?" Kylie asked.

"Did I say case?" John asked, "I meant lack of one."

Kylie stood up and strode towards him, "Spill it Watson."

"He's just looking for the cabbie," John told her. He still didn't understand why he was trying I hide it from her.

Kylie just looked at him before running a hand through her hair.

"Why wouldn't he tell me John?" Kylie asked softly.

"He didn't want you to be frightened anymore. With Thomas gone, you could actually function. He wanted to keep that for you," John told her. Though Sherlock had never told him why, that was his best guess to as why. He knew he had become protective of Kylie. He saw that his best friend, the same one everyone thought was incapable of feeling, loved the woman.

Kylie sighed, she knew he was trying to protect her, and it really was sweet, but part if her wished he wouldn't think he'd have to hide it. She wasn't mad, she just wanted to talk with him.

"Mary, do you mind can I help you later?" Kylie said as she closed her eyes and stood up.

Mary looked at her friend with worry, "of course, but Ky, remember that he's just trying to protect you. That man loves you."

Kylie smiled softly, "I know Mare. I just need to talk to him."

Mary nodded as Kylie left, closing the door behind her.

John let out a breath he'd been holding in and ran a hand through his hair.

"I messed up there didnt I?" John asked Mary.

Mary looked at him, "You think? The girl has trust issues and was finally comfortable trusting him. I mean she hasn't even looked behind the bloody periodic table..."

"Wait, WHAT!" John yelled his eyes popping out.

Mary looked at him weirdly, "You know what's behind it? Thomas told her it would show her how bad Sherlock really is for her."

John just looked at her, "Mary, she can't find out what he has behind there. I mean he doesn't even know that I know."

"John," Mary said slowly, "what's behind there?"

"Mary," John said running a hand worriedly over his face, "Sherlock is my best friend, and I can't tell. It's not my place."

Mary nodded, she could understand that. "Alright, on a scale from one to ten, how bad is it if Kylie found out?"

"a 25," John told her, "after Thomas, she would leave him for good if she found out."

Mary gaped, "You're kidding."

John shook his head, "No, I'm not. No matter how much she loves him..." he trailed off for a moment as he walked over to Mary and pulled her into his arms, "Kylie's been through a lot. And if she sees that... She'll run for the hills."

"She loves him though," Mary told him.

"I know they love each other Mary, but this is Sherlock's deepest darkest secrets we are talking about. He's been through a lot in his life too, most of it that I know about, is just the surface. I don't even want to think what is underneath."

Mary looked at him, "Would I run for the hills if I were in Kylie's situation?"

John shook his head, "If I had been what Sherlock's been through, I don't know if I would have been alive long enough to have met you."

**^#%#% **

Sherlock sat in his arm chair, deep in thought. He still didn't know how she had found him after all these years. He was at a loss a loss of what to do. He knew she needed help, he just wasn't sure if he had the help to offer. Plus, what it really worth it to drag Kylie into this? Put her in danger once more? No…he knew that. But he needed to fix this whole thing, fix it before she got too curious.

He could hear John's voice in his head telling him to be honest with her, but he couldn't. He couldn't tell her his past. Hell, he never even told John directly. He didn't know half the story, and the only reason he knew part of it was because he happened to be in the right place at the right time…plus his damn brother…

"Where is Miss Gibbs?" his brother asked as he strolled into the flat.

…speak of the devil….

Sherlock glared at him for his sudden entery.

"Out," Sherlock told him, "Why are you here?"

"About an inquiry that you asked me a few days ago," Mycroft said as he sat down in the opposite chair.

Sherlock looked up at him.

"I still assume that you have not informed Miss Gibbs about this?"

"That's none of your business."

"I'll take that as a no then," Mycroft said as he pulled out his phone, "I can say that when you asked me to have a man…lets say, 'take care' of Thomas for you, it slightly took me by surprise."

"You what?" said a voice from the doorway.

Sherlock's heart dropped as he saw the expression on Kylie's face. It was shock, anger, confusion, sadness, disgust…

She shut her eyes for a moment, "You asked Mycroft to assassinate my ex boyfriend?" she asked softly in disbelief.

Sherlock just stood from his chair and stared at her, he didn't know what to say. He always had a come back, he always could explain his logic and reasoning behind everything. Yet, right now, his mind was blank.

He began to walk over to her before she held up a hand, shutting her eyes in pain, "Don't," she whispered as she felt her heart break in betrayal, "just….dont." she said before walking into their bedroom.

Sherlock watched her go. He didn't know what to do, how to fix this. He just looked at his brother who had his eyebrows raised at him.

"Well, I'll be going then," Mycroft said as Sherlock's looked turned into an angry glare as his fist clenched.

"Why did you come to say that Mycroft. Didn't the government teach you to bite your tongue?" he said through gritted teeth.

"I came to tell you that my man was not the one who killed Mr. Moore. He wasn't even in position when the bullet entered," Mycroft said before walking out of the flat.

Sherlock's mind began racing a million miles a minute. If Mycroft's assassin hadn't been the one to pull the trigger, who did?

That didn't matter right now….

Sherlock's eyes closed before he walked slowly towards his bedroom.

He opened the door to find Kylie sitting on the bed staring at the periodic table with tears in her eyes.

He just stood there and watched her for a moment.

"Why didn't you tell me about the case? About Thomas?" she asked.

Sherlock didn't respond. He had something piling up inside him, something new. Was this….guilt? Why was he feeling that? Why was he feeling to begin with?

"Seriously Sherlock? Why?" Kylie asked as tears threatened to fall, "because you _killing_ my ex boyfriend is enough to handle, let alone the fact that you are trying to hide it from me."

She paused as Sherlock just continued to stare at her.

"I _need_ to be able to trust you. I do…I did… but you lying to me about this….about the case…" she just shook her head at him, "Why?"

Sherlock just stared at her. He couldn't put it into words. She was sitting there looking at him as if he had just ripped her heart out of her chest, and it was his fault, he did that to her.

"Answer me!" She pleaded with him.

"I…" he began quietly, "I had to …"

"Had to kill him?" Kylie asked, her anger getting the better of her, "had to have Mycroft assassinate him? That's great because its not murder if he's a raging psychopath!"

"He was going to hurt you," he told her sternly.

"And he had already hurt Mrs. Hudson, and Mary, and so many others. So how does you doing the same thing that he did to all of those people make it right? He was a bastard. Did he deserve to die? Maybe. But I sure as hell didn't need for you to make it a freaking execution."

Silence overtook the room.

"We did the right thing."

"We?" Kylie asked.

_Not Good…_

"It was a group descion," Kylie said as she laughed because she had no other idea of how to respond, "Murder was a group descion. Great. You know had this been anyone else, you'd be out there hunting for them Sherlock."

"He hurt you, and you are defending him?"

"No, I'm not defending him. I'm just pissed because the man I love has been lying to me and think that it is okay for him to determine who dies."

"I didn't lie," Sherlock said softly.

Kylie shut her eyes in pain, trying to control the anger and sadness that wanted to explode outwards.

"Didn't lie," she whispered to herself before looking him in the eye, "Sherlock you hid this from me. I _asked_ you who you thought killed him, you knew, you lied."

Sherlock opened his mouth to retort before Kylie held up a hand, "and don't even try to argue that it wasn't because you didn't know who Mycroft sent! Sherlock, we are dating. I love you more than life itself and yet, you lie to me. You cant even tell me that you are hunting the cabbie who took me? That's the case you are working, John told me."

_Damn John and his large mouth…_

"Why did you lie? It hurts to know that I cant trust you, trust that what you are telling me is the truth." She shook her head as he confidence began to shatter before his eyes, "Do you even love me? Or is that just a lie too?"

Sat down on the bed and put a hand on her cheek, keeping her still as he brought his lips to hers, kissing her tenderly, attempting to convey his feelings in the kiss. He felt her body begin to relax once more as she responded to the kiss slightly, as if she was fighting herself on responding.

He broke it and looked her in the eye before softly, but sternly saying, "That, is not a lie."

She rested her forehead against his as her eyes were clenched shut in some internal debate she was having with herself.

"What's behind the periodic table Sherlock?" Kylie asked softly.

Every single muscle in his body went ridged. How…?

"I know there is something and by your reaction," Kylie said looking at him, "It wasn't Thomas who put it there."

Sherlock just stared at her. He was paled in fright, fright at what he knew she would find.

Kylie stood up and began to walk over to it before Sherlock's hand caught hers to try to stop her. She looked at him, his eyes were pleading with her not to look. She had to, she had to know. He had lied to her, who could know if he was actually turning into Thomas too…wouldn't be the first time she had missed that by blindly trusting someone.

She walked up to the table and pulled it a few inches off the wall and felt what she was looking for. She pulled out a large manila envelope and glanced at Sherlock. He looked like a frightened child mixed with self disgust, loathing, and shame.

She had to know.

She opened the envelope and felt her breath catch in her throat at what she saw inside before she dumped it on the bed next to him, making sure what she saw, was actually what she was seeing.

She would have never guessed…not in a million years what lay in that envelope…

Thomas had been right. Sherlock, her Sherlock….was hiding something darker than Thomas ever had.

**Review?**


	73. Chapter 73

**I'M BACK! Yay! Anyhow a huge thanks to everyone who reviewed the last couple of chapters!  
**

**Bored411: Thanks so much for reading everything! I really appreciate it! And yeah..You just timed it on a bad chapter to stop!**

**My guest reviewer: Thanks for the suggestion! Unfortunately, this was one of the few things I have been planning in advance, but I loved it! Thanks so much for reading!  
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**A HUGE thanks to Gwilwillith, thegirlwiththebrowneyes, Ahsilaa, ChelGallifreay221B613, Skywrites, Goodwolf1011, DjBirdywantstofly, thegirlwhoimagined, Kira d'Arc Erzbeth, and ranibowassassin for their amazing reviews! I literally want to hug you all…though most of you wanted to kill me for the cliffy!**

**Anyhow, a peak in the envelope anyone?**

Kylie just stared in amazement at the contents on the bed. This could not be for real. There was no way; absolutely no way that she could have missed this going on right under her nose. The man who was closest to her in life, had been doing…this?

On the bed lay four bags of fine white powder and three filled with a fine tan powder. Along with those there were stacks of bills, a metal spoon, a tourniquet, syringes, and photographs, not just any photographs. Photographs of a younger looking and tattered Sherlock, the woman she had met the day before, and an older man that Kylie swore she had seen before.

Kylie sat there stunned. She couldn't believe it.

"Is that…?" she began to ask when she found her voice and Sherlock sat on the bed, unable to look at her in shame of the evidence on the bed, "Cocaine? And Heroin? Jesus Sherlock."

She tried to take it all in, to accept it as a fact. This really was happening, this wasn't a dream.

She picked up the stacks of bills, there had to be at least a hundred thousand pounds. Where in the hell would that kind of money come from? She had no clue how much Sherlock had in his account, nor did she care, but a hundred thousand stashed behind a wall with photos and drugs?

Why did he have drugs?

"Are these…yours?" she asked him as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Sherlock just kept staring at the floor before barely nodding.

Kylie felt the breath catch in her throat as she nodded.

Her boyfriend did cocaine and heroin.

"I'm clean," he told her softly.

"How long?" Kylie asked.

Sherlock was silent. He was ashamed, ashamed of his weakness. He had vowed to never touch the stuff again and he had broken that. All due to one night John had left right after Kylie had moved to the states… one bloody night he had been hurting so badly that he had to do something. He had to get his mind to stop, and this was the only way he knew how…the only way without Kylie.

"How long?" Kylie asked again as more emotion began to show through.

"Six months," he told her in a barely audible whisper.

Kylie shut her eyes in pain. She had left six months ago, how on earth could she have missed all of this? How could she have been so stupid?

She held her head in her hands as she felt her hands be immediately soaked with tears.

Sherlock, her Sherlock. The most brilliant man she knew…a junkie.

She just closed her eyes for a moment, trying to reassure herself that this was all a dream. Sherlock did not just go down the same path that Thomas did…except Thomas didn't use..

She opened her eyes only to see the horror that were the photographs. That woman staring back at her.

She picked it up and looked at it as closely as she could with her blurred vision from the tears, just to ensure that she was not hallucinating.

"You said you didn't know her Sherlock," Kylie said as emotion fully broke through her voice. Her heart was cracking and threating to shatter in his hands.

Sherlock couldn't look at her. He felt as if his heart was being dragged through fire and brimstone and then taken through broken glass. Before when Kylie had been emotional, it was from Thomas or her overreactions, but right now… this was all because of him. This strong, wonderful woman, who he could finally say that he loves, was broken and crying because of him. Because of his past..

"I know," he said quietly.

"You lied."

"To protect you."

"I'm not an ignorant child Sherlock," Kylie told him, "What's her name?"

"Lola," he said quietly.

Kylie laughed in anger and sadness, "you have a crack whore friend named Lola. Great."

Sherlock was silent as Kylie turned to him, "Oh my God, she is a crack whore?"

Silence once more.

Kylie shut her eyes. This could not get any worse.

"Was this taken while you were using?" she asked inquiring about his tattered appearance.

He slowly nodded as he stared at the floor, "Six years ago."

Kylie shut her eyes in pain, "you've been using for more than six years?"

"I was clean for five, then relapsed six months ago for one night," he said quietly.

Kylie let out a sob. He had relapsed because she left… She was responsible for that.

She couldn't handle this, it was too much. She had to run, she had to get out.

She grabbed everything on the bed but the money and put it in the envelope before she walked out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Sherlock asked as he watched her walk out of the room and hopped up after her, fear surging through him.

"I just need…need to think," Kylie said as another sob seeped through.

Sherlock just watched her helplessly as she grabbed her coat and her purse before she walked out the door closing it behind her.

Sherlock didn't know how long he just stared at that door. Kylie had walked out of his life again. Not that he blamed her; she'd be safer this way…even if it meant him losing her.

&%$#$(*

_**Mary, I need to stay with you tonight if that is okay. I need advice. I'll be over in a bit, there's something I need to do first.**_

Kylie pressed send before putting her head in her hands once more as she sat in the back of a cab.

It was too overwhelming; she just wanted this to go away. She wanted this to be some sick joke that he was playing on her. There was no way it could be true…it couldn't be. She loved him so much, and this…betrayal? Well, she guessed it was just her stupidity…but all the same, she apparently had no idea who the man she loved really was.

**^ %#*^#**

Mycroft sat in his private room at the Diogenes club enjoying the bit of peace and quite he had only to have his doors burst open and a dripping Kylie Gibbs enter, her eyes red puffy, and flaming with anger.

She stomped over to him after slamming the door shut on the butler who poked his head in after to ensure that Mycroft was indeed okay with this. Mycroft nodded at the butler who retreated as he raised an eyebrow at dripping woman before she pulled the manila envelope out of her bag and dumped the contents on his desk. She glared at him, not saying a word.

Mycroft looked down at the contents and sighed.

His brother should have told her. Politics 101, damage control.

"You knew," Kylie said angrily.

Mycroft looked up at her, she was gaging his reaction. He calmly folded his paper and stood up walking over to the kettle.

"Would you like some tea Miss Gibbs?" he asked politely, "Terrible weather we are having. That's why I always carry an umbrella."

Kylie gaped at him, "Are you SERIOUSLY trying to make small talk right now?"

"I'll take that as a no on the tea then."

"Your brother is a drug addict Mycroft!"

"Was…"

"IS, once you are an addict, you are always and addict Mycroft!"

Mycroft looked at her. The young woman looked heartbroken and lost. She was torn, torn between running and helping. He assumed his brother had not helped his own case too much.

"What do you know about my brother's past Miss Gibbs," Mycroft said as he sat down once more.

Kylie just glared at him as he motioned for her to sit down.

"Anger and criticism will not make this situation any better. That I can promise you from experience in such matters," Mycroft told her as he sipped his tea calmly.

Kylie stared at him for a moment before sitting down in the chair begrudgingly.

"What do you know about my brother's past?" Mycroft asked again.

"I know that your father was a sick SOB who's favorite punching bag was him and not you. I also know that he hangs out with a crack whore named Lola and is a junkie," Kylie told him trying to resist the emotion in her voice.

Mycroft set down his tea. That was most likely the MOST information Sherlock had ever given about his past. In fact, he doubted John even knew that much.

"Sherlock began using after he graduated from University. I believe he met Lola along the way some how and both of them began working for this man," Mycroft told her as he handed her one of the photos of the older man that Kylie swore she knew somewhere.

She just looked at it, racking her brain as to where she had seen him before.

"His name is Ardan Cahill, I'm sure you have heard of him before."

Then it all clicked. She remembered seeing him on the wall at NCIS.

"He's about the most powerful drug lord in Ireland," Kylie gaped, "Sherlock worked for a drug lord? Jesus…"

She put her head in her hands, how could she have missed this. She had to fall in love with the two most twisted men in history.

…_Sherlock isn't twisted….he just has a past….just like you do…_

Yes, but I also didn't work for a drug lord.

_Does the man he was matter if the man his is today is one of the greatest you have ever met?  
_

"He was on the streets, refusing help from me and running from our parents," Mycroft said as sadly as Mycroft could convey sadness.

"He was homeless?" Kylie said as she felt her heart break for him. She knew his family life had been messed up, but she didn't realize that it had been so bad that he would rather be homeless.

Mycroft nodded, "For almost two years. During that time, he was Cahill's sniffer dog. I think it was the only way that he could really use his observational skills at the time and he enjoyed it."

Kylie shut her eyes, trying to get a grasp on what was going on. It was too much at once.

"So let me get this straight," she said, "Sherlock willingly worked for Cahill essentially deducing people?"

"From my knowledge, he was essentially a lie and fraud detector for him. Currency, drugs, people."

"He hasn't told you?"

Mycroft raised his eyebrow at her, "The relationship between my brother and I is a complicated one that goes back a long ways."

"What happened?"

Mycroft laughed, "That's for Sherlock to tell you if he wishes."

"You've been awful open about the rest of his past."

"He already began to tell you, he just doesn't know how to finish it."

Kylie narrowed her eyes at him, "I know you are his older brother and pretty much the only family he has got, but he is not a child. He is an adult who is perfectly capable of communicating. Maybe what he has been through has prevented that?"

Mycroft smiled at her, "It seems you must have forgotten that too."

Kylie froze, that bastard…he essentially used jedi-mind tricks on her to argue and win a battle in her own mind.

"Do they teach Jedi-mind tricks in the British government?"

Mycroft smiled at the woman, "I just led you along the proper train of thought."

"Okay, that's freaky," Kylie said as she got up.

Mycroft looked at her. Her face was still contorted in confusion. Granted it was less than it had been when she entered, but it was still confusion. There was a lot in his brother's past, too much in fact.

"This didn't resolve anything for you did it?" Mycroft asked her.

Kylie looked at him skeptically before shaking her head and walking out, leaving Mycroft alone with his thoughts once more.

*$&#( )$(%*

Kylie pounded on the door of Mary and John's flat as she wiped her dripping wet hair out her eyes.

A solemn John answered the door and gave her a small sad smile before letting her in.

Kylie stepped into the flat and immediately regretted it as she looked around to find not only Mary, but Mrs. Hudson, Charlie, Lestrade, Anderson, and to Kylie's misery…. Witham.

Kylie just looked at them; she was not in the mood for this. She just wanted to talk to John and Mary…

"You have GOT to be kidding me," Kylie said as she looked at Mary and John before turning and beginning to walk out the door.

"Oh no," John said catching her before she managed to escape, "This is an intervention."

"An…" Kylie closed her eyes in anger, she did NOT need this right now, "you are kidding me…. I am apparently NOT the one in need of an intervention."

"You love him and that is why we are all here," Mary said standing as Kylie glared at her best friend, "We are all telling you why you shouldn't leave."

Kylie looked around the room; she really wasn't comfortable talking about what she had just learned in the last few hours with everyone in the room.

"He's changed for you sweetheart," Mrs. Hudson told her, "Its obvious that he really does love you."

"That's not the matter," Kylie said quietly.

"Well whatever it is," Lestrade told her, "Its obviously a part of his past."

Kylie just looked at him.

"If I may interject…" Witham began before Kylie glared at him.

"SHUT IT WITHAM!"

"Look Kylie, I don't know why the two of you had a domestic," Mary said softly, "but I can tell you right now that the two of you were positively miserable without each other, and when you came back to London, you were both _happy_. Absolutely happy."

Kylie was silent, they were right, but that really wasn't the point. She _wanted _to be with him, she just didn't know if she could.

"I hate the bastard," Anderson inputted, "but I have to say he is less annoying when you are around."

Kylie smiled; even Anderson had showed up here to help.

"You deserve to be happy Ky," Charlie told her.

Kylie nodded, "Thanks guys. I appreciate this. I just really need to talk to John and Mary…alone…"

They all nodded and began moving towards the door before they noticed Witham was rooted to the spot.

Everyone looked at him expectantly.

"Witham," Mary told him, "leave."

"I'm her therapist…" Witham began before Mrs. Hudson strolled over to him.

To everyone's shock, Mrs. Hudson smacked him with her pocketbook before grabbing him by the ear and dragging him out of the flat, "No, you are just a nosey old sod."

Kylie grinned for the first time in what felt like decades, she'd have to tell Sher…

Her face fell as all the information came back.

"What happened sweetie?" Mary asked.

Kylie looked around and noticed that everyone had left.

She ran a hand through her hair as they all sat at the table.

"I looked behind the table Mary," Kylie said quietly.

John paled. It all made sense now.

"I thought you weren't going to look?" Mary asked, "You trust him."

"I trusted him," Kylie corrected her, "I walked back to baker street with all intentions of just talking to him about the case, and I walked in on a conversation with Mycroft in which he and SOMEONE," she commented shooting a glare at John, "Had Thomas assassinated."

Mary shot a glance at a guilty looking John as Kylie continued.

"It was a group decision to kill him, and he claims it was to protect me."

"It was," John argued.

"You two are no worse than he is!" Kylie told him, "You don't get to decide who dies when for your own agenda."

"John's right," Mary told her, "He needed to be dealt with."

"But not like that," Kylie told her.

"It was probably the only way to do it with as little hurt to others as possible."

Kylie paused and just thought about it. Sure, Mary had a point…but still.

"Mary, its just like Thomas all over again," Kylie said quietly.

Mary raised her eyebrows, "So that's what this is about? Not trust?"

"It is," Kylie said closing her eyes, "He lied about everything. The case, Thomas's death, the woman…"

"He lied about the woman?" Mary asked.

Kylie sighed and looked at her as she pulled out the manila envelope, "This is what I found when I looked behind the table."

She dumped the contents on the table as Mary gasped.

"It was this along with ten thousand pounds," Kylie told them before looking at John who wasn't the least bit surprised.

"Is that Cocaine and heroin?" Mary asked, "Sherlock is a junkie?"

"You knew," Kylie said quietly to John, not hearing Mary, "You knew that he was a junkie and worked for a drug lord?"

"A drug what?" Mary gaped.

John's eyes widened in shock, "I didn't know that part," he told her, "Blimey, a drug lord? I knew he had a history with drugs…"

"He used six months ago John!" Kylie told him as she began to cry again.

John froze, he had no idea. He had suspected, but Sherlock had covered it up very well. He had taken Mary out of town to give Sherlock some time to himself. When he had returned, Sherlock seemed… better, more bitter, but better. He had suspected it was drug induced, but couldn't find proof.

"That's when you.." Mary trailed off putting all together, "Oh sweetie…"

"I can't trust him," Kylie said. "He IS Thomas. Thomas changed when he went undercover for that drug Lord in Russia and met Moriarty, and I missed it until it was too late. Thomas began lying to me…that's exactly what Sherlock is doing."

"Kylie, Sherlock is not Thomas," John told her pointedly, "I know for a fact, that he would never do that to you."

Kylie laughed, "That's what I said about Thomas!"

Mary looked though the photos, "You have to remember that Sherlock's past is not who he is today. All that matters is present and future, not the past. Everyone has dirty laundry; you know that better than most. You said it earlier today, you can trust him, you just have to let yourself."

Kylie looked at the table, they both had points. She loved him, she wanted to trust him, but all these lies, all this madness. She couldn't make the same mistake twice. She had trusted Thomas and it bit her….hard…

"What are you going to do?" Mary asked.

Kylie shook her head and placed it in her hands. She was more confused than ever. She had no idea what she was going to do.

Stay and maybe endure a second Thomas like a foolish little girl? Or run…run until she was safe…and all alone.

**Review?**


	74. Chapter 74

**Thanks so much to my amazing reviewers! Seriously, you guys are amazing!**

**A huge thanks to RainbowAssassin, kie1993, Djbirdywantstofly, Oreal770, ChelGallifreya221B613, blackbloodpearls Elleari, OptimisticLivvy, Sovor, and my guest reviewer!**

**I also just want to say something about last chapter. I have had a couple people message me about how stupid Kylie was last chapter. Well, put yourself in her shoes. If your current boyfriend were going through the same steps that your psychopathic ex who raped you out of the blue took, I would freak out too.**

_**Also.. THIS IS AN M RATED CHAPTER! It is pretty evident what is going to happen right before the &^##%^# that I put in to break the chapter. If you don't want to read it, please don't and skip until the new section break. The rest of the chapter is fine, just skip the large &#^&#^& section in the middle!**_

**Enjoy!**

Sherlock sat on the steps of 221B Baker Street letting the rain pour down on him. He knew that he should be inside, but somehow sitting in the cold rain seemed to barely come to par as an acceptable punishment for the hurt he caused Kylie. He was freezing to the bone, but he didn't care. He needed something to watch, some random strangers to deduce, it was the only thing that was keeping his mind from running completely rampant.

He just sat there, watching the people of London pass by trying to focus his mind on them instead of the guilt-ridden war waging in his head.

If he saw himself a year and a half ago, he would have most likely hurled. Sherlock Holmes didn't bother with feelings or other people's feelings. His life was his life and he had learned from an early age that if you didn't care, others couldn't affect you as much. His time at University had taught him that. He didn't fit in; he had never fit in…anywhere in life. He threw himself in books and studies like he always had, ignoring the jeers of his classmates. He was learning how to control his mind. It was like a rocket ship, tearing itself to bits as it raged rampantly at hyper speed. It was a miserable way to live for an extended period of time. University had caused it to accelerate even more with the jumbles of crowds combined with alcohol and hormones raging. The first two years were miserable. He barely slept, less than he did now. It wasn't until he met Lola that that all changed.

Lola, cocaine and morphine were his new best friends. It was the only way he could stop thinking for a bit, bringing some relief to his mind as he was numbed. It was, for the first time in his life, the only time he felt comfort, safety.

_You feel that with Kylie now…_

Sherlock put his head in his hands. Why did he have to feel? He hated it. He had trained himself for so long not to, that's the only reason he was able to escape the drugs; mind over matter. It wasn't until Kylie had changed his entire world that he began to feel once more.

He had a gaping wound in his heart and he didn't know why. He had done these things in his past, why on earth would he care if she didn't like it.

_You care what she thinks, you let her down. You disappointed her._

He looked up and glared at the street. His subconscious was right, he loved her and he didn't know why.

_Yeah, you do. You love her because she is brilliant, beautiful, strong, caring and makes you feel whole and content. Not to mention she makes you feel loved._

God damn his mind…why was his subconscious always right? It just enjoyed rendering him unable to block out the feelings and deny himself the warmth that he felt spread through him when he saw her smile, or heard her laugh.

….Seriously? You sound like one of John's emails…

He rolled his eyes at himself. He was pitiful. He wanted to hate himself for this, but he couldn't, he already hated himself beyond belief for making her cry.

Sherlock let the water soak his button up and slacks to the bone as he reflected on what had occurred in the flat hours before. He had literally seen he heart break as she opened that envelope. The horror that came over her face when she realized what a monster he really was. He didn't blame her for leaving the flat, not one bit. She was probably better off. He was only putting her in danger when the danger in her life had finally been killed off.

She had looked so broken, so destroyed…. because of him. It was all because of him….

He saw someone standing to his right a few yards away from him. He looked towards them to see Kylie standing there dripping wet. She looked at him; he couldn't describe the plethora of emotion on her face. It ranged from anger to sorrow, softness to rage, caring to sadness. She just stood there staring as people walked by on the busy street as the rain poured down.

They just stared at each other. Kylie felt her heart break a little more as she saw him sitting on the steps, soaked to the bone looking as if his life had been shattered.

Kylie watched him stand as she looked at him. It was as if he was hoping, praying for something. She could see the hurt in his eyes, the torture that he had endured. She never saw that in Thomas…

It was in that moment, her decision was made, sure she had made up her mind before but internal doubt had filled her, now that doubt was gone as she saw him standing there on the sidewalk.

Sherlock didn't know what to think, what to feel when he saw her. His mind was blank; she was the only person in the world who could have that effect on him. She was better than any drug. She began walking towards him. This was it, this was her leaving forever. He braced himself for the blow, as she was only a few feet away now. She dropped her bag on the ground and to his surprise, launched herself at him, kissing him like she had never kissed him before.

Her body was warm despite the cold of rain as that warmth and electricity raged through his body from her touch. He could literally _feel_ the emotion as her hands tangled in his hair, holding his head in place. He felt the world stop moving around him, it was as if nothing else existed, nothing except her as he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight to him, wishing he could be even closer than he already was.

The kiss was powerful, his head was spinning. He felt himself beginning to lose control of his body as he returned her kiss with just about as much emotion as his body could handle.

The kiss began to slow as they both had a need for oxygen. Kylie kept her eyes close as he still held her tight in the pouring rain, resting her forehead on his.

"I'm sorry, it was just too much to take in at once," Kylie told him as her hands dropped to his cheeks and down his neck to his soaked shirt.

"I don't blame you for leaving," he told her, slightly shocked at his own honesty.

Kylie pulled away and looked him in the eye, placing one hand on his cheek, "The man you were, is not the man you are or who you will be in thirty years. I love then man you are, and the man you will be. That's what matters to me."

He just looked at her. She … understood…. No one had ever understood.

"I just want to understand and help you," she told him, "Just like you did to me with my past."

Sherlock felt something swell inside him, an overflow of emotion that broke forth from inside of him. What in the hell was this woman doing to him.

Kylie ran a hand down his chest and felt his heart racing; she looked up at him only to have his lips crash down on hers as his arms pulled her close. Kylie's head spun, she had never felt anything this strongly from him before. Electricity surged through her body, as she had never wanted to be closer than she was to him right now. She could feel his soul being bared. He had always hid a part of himself from her and this wasn't that… this was uninhibited Sherlock.

Kylie felt herself being pushed gently towards the flat as her hands gripped Sherlock's shirt tightly as it was something to keep her grounded. She felt the door open behind her and then closed as his lips remained on hers, kissing her passionately.

Kylie broke the kiss blinking a few times as she came back down to earth.

"My bag," she breathed as she attempted to regain her breath…and her sanity as she slipped out of his arms and walked towards the door as he panted against the wall. She stopped and turned back around and laid another kiss on his lips, pulling back and grinning at him, her eyes dark with desire.

"Meet you upstairs?" she asked before laying another kiss on his lips, before running out the door and grabbing her bag off the ground.

Sherlock just stood there, he couldn't move, his body was in shock.

She walked back in and set her bag on the ground before grabbing his hand and pulling him up the stairs with her.

**%#$#& **

As soon as they were up the stairs, Kylie opened the door and dropped her bag on the floor before turning to him. Kylie didn't even have a chance to react before she was up against the door with Sherlock against her. Emotion poured out of his kiss as his hands began to move down her sides.

Kylie couldn't think straight; she was drowning in the emotion, the passion as she held him for dear life. She felt him break his lips from hers and began to kiss up her cheek and towards her ear, finding the spot near her ear lobe that made her crazy.

Kylie couldn't help but moan before her hands went to his shirt and began unbuttoning it as quickly as she could manage. She needed to feel skin, she wanted him closer. Her hands explored the contours of his chest and torso as he kissed her neck and she peeled the wet material off of him.

Kylie suppressed a groan of pleasure as his teeth nipped at a sensitive spot of her neck sending waves of electricity though out her body. Her hands raked up his back tracing every muscle on his back, making him shiver slightly before she tugged his head up and turned him so that he was the one against the wall.

She smiled before slowly and tantalizingly kiss along his jaw, pausing to nip his earlobe lightly and then began to slowly make her way down his neck. She could feel him begin to squirm with the slowness that she was doing this. She couldn't help but smile against his skin, she was driving him mad. HE tried to turn her, but Kylie was too quick. She grabbed his wrists and held them against the wall as she began to kiss his shoulders before moving down his chest.

He was breathing heavily and his eyes were screed shut as she kissed down his torso. It wasn't until she lightly nipped the sensitive skin there that he lost all control he had ever had.

Next thing she knew she was being scooped up by strong arms and carried over to the kitchen counter. Pans fell to the ground as he swiped a hand across it and set her down on the counter, leaving his hands free to pull off her jacket as his lips were on hers once more. She gasped into his lips as she felt his hands under her shirt, yanking it off quickly before his hands returned to explore her body once more.

It was amazing to Kylie that every time they did this, it was always as if they were exploring each other for the first time. Electricity raged through her system, making her feel drunk and dizzy with pleasure as she kissed him with all that she had.

Her hand went to his belt as he broke the kiss and picked her up once more, forcing Kylie's hands around his neck instead.

He gently laid her down on the couch before climbing over her. This was so unlike him, it was usually her who did this sort of thing and he copied after…not that she minded…

Everything was slowed down as he kissed her gently before making his way down her body slowly. Kylie was arching with need by the time he had reached her collarbone. His hands slid up her body to her breasts and Kylie's head nearly exploded when his mouth joined as well. He reached around and removed her bra as slowly as he could. Kylie whimpered as she tried to throw the offensive garment off of her body put Sherlock caught her hands in time, holding them gently as not to pin her, but just not let her interfere. He slowly peeled the garment off of her and his hands released hers, slowly feeling the soft skin that was underneath. She arched into his touch and he watched her eyes flutter closed with primordial fascination. He had this effect on her, he was doing this to her.

His mouth joined his hands and she gasped at the contact as her body came off the couch slightly her hands tangled in his hair. His hands kneaded the soft flesh as his mouth danced over them as well, earning a moans and gasps that sent a shiver down to his very core.

He kissed his way down her flat stomach. She was still thin, far too thin for his liking. He could still see her hipbone, and her runner's body and muscles were just beginning to come back as they had been lost due to the starvation she had put herself through. He felt her begin to shake with anticipation as he reached the top of her soaked jeans.

Kylie saw him glance at her before he slowly undid them and began peeling them off of her. Once they had been removed, she tried to sit up to kiss him, but he leaned forward and kissed her before putting a hand on her shoulder, telling her to lie back down. She just looked at him as she lay on the couch in her underwear as he kissed down her body once more, where he reached the top band of her underwear, kissing along the lines of it. Kylie shut her eyes in hopes of calming her body down before it combusted.

She felt him kiss the inside of her thigh before slowly pulling her underwear down off of her body. She moved to make work of his belt but his hand gently met her shoulder, pushing her down once more.

Kylie felt her breath catch in her throat. What was he doing? She watched him move down her body once more and kiss the inside of her knee, making his way up her thigh and closer to her most intimate spot.

Kylie felt herself begin to freak out a little. She had never done that, ever. Hell, she didn't even think that Sherlock knew about that. Thomas had never bothered, which truly explained a few things about their relationship. Thomas was the only other person she had been with and this had always freaked her out.

Sherlock must have felt her tense as he glanced up at her, laying a kiss as close to her as he could. She just stared at him, this was new to her. She didn't know whether to say yes, or throw him off of her.

She didn't have time to make a decision as her body was thrown into a wave of pleasure as Sherlock's mouth reached it destination. Kylie had to fight her eyes rolling into the back of her head as his tongue and mouth did wonderful things to her. Her hands tangled in his hair once more as a loud moan escaped her lips. Her head was spinning; she felt her insides squirming in pleasure as warmth began to building in her stomach. She couldn't think. Her body moved instinctually before her reality shattered around her and fell apart at the seams.

Sherlock watched her come apart as he used a hand and held onto her as she clung to him in desperation of something solid. She was beautiful, and seeing her completely and utterly instinctual turned something deep inside of him, something that had never been roused before. She whimpered as her body shook, clinging to him for dear life as she tucked her head into his shoulder. He held her close until her body finally stopped shaking. He laid soft kisses in her hair as he let her calm down for a few moments, patiently holding her until she moved once more.

She pulled away after a bit and looked at him in amazement before kissing him, her hands trailing down to his belt, quickly undoing it and pulling them off of him. She began to kiss her way down his chest, trying to return the favor as she pulled the rest of his clothing off of him. Right before she reached him he stopped her and pushed her back.

"But…" she began to say before his lips cut her off and he lay on top of her settling between her legs. Emotion still flooded the kiss, making her dizzy once more. He broke the kiss and looked at her. Kylie brought a hand up to his face cupping his cheek before she shut her eyes and pressed her forehead to his.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," he breathed back before he pushed into her.

Kylie groaned as she dug her nails into his shoulders at the pleasure. Sherlock wrapped her in his arms before dropping his head into her shoulder as they set a rhythm. No one would ever fit her as perfectly as he did. Kylie felt so safe, so loved, so worshiped, so cared for. Their bodies fit together so perfectly as they rocked, their bodies intertwined as they held each other. Kylie began to see stars as she breathed in his scent and felt the warmth beginning to mix with the electricity shooting between them. She felt Sherlock begin to shake as they both neared the edge. It only took a moment or two longer for the pit of warmth in her stomach to burst making her body quake as she pulled Sherlock over the edge with her. She clung to him tightly as she could hear him make little noises that she knew he was trying his best to hold in. She buried her head in his shoulder as she came back down to earth.

She felt Sherlock begin to relax as she laid small kisses on the crook of his neck, trailing them along his shoulders.

They lay there for a moment before Sherlock pulled his head up and looked at her. Kylie swept his hair out of his face before kissing him tenderly. She pulled away to see his eyes still shut. She smiled at him as he opened them.

He looked at her for a moment before he realized that they were on the couch in the living room. They had only made love in the bedroom before; in fact Kylie hadn't even realized that they were on the couch either.

Sherlock raised and eyebrow before shrugging slightly as he lay on top of Kylie, "well, its definitely my couch now."

Kylie burst out laughing as Sherlock began to chuckle with her. That was so out of character for Sherlock to make a joke about sex, but it did fit him to make light of a situation like this with her.

He kissed her forehead before climbing off of a still giggling Kylie, pulling her up with him, "Lets go warm up then shall we?" he asked her as he pulled her towards the bathroom to shower.

Kylie grinned and raised an eyebrow at him as they entered, "I thought we already did that Mr. Holmes."

Sherlock smiled as he turned on the shower, feeling the temperature of the water before stepping in and helping Kylie in behind him.

There, they just held each other, washing off the anger, pain, and evidence of their love making, as they never felt closer to one another. Forgiveness and understanding were exchanged in silent kisses and tender touches as they washed soap off of one another in the shower of steaming water.

**#$#^ *& ^]**

Kylie laid on the couch wrapped in a towel and Sherlock's arms as her hand wandered up Sherlock's bare torso. The fire roared in the living room, as they lay wrapped in a blanket, towels and each other, watching the fire dance.

"I couldn't stop my mind from racing," Sherlock said suddenly as he pulled her closer out of comfort.

Kylie just looked up at him, not understanding,

"That's why I began taking the drugs, to stop my mind from racing out of control, for just a quiet moment," he whispered.

Kylie held him close and began rubbing circles on his chest. She knew that this wasn't easy for him. She didn't want to torture him with this, but they both knew that they needed to lay everything on the table. She was just glad that he realized that, she just wasn't expecting it to be so soon.

He took a deep breath and continued as he ran a hand through her wet hair as she lay on his chest, "It was third year at University when I met Lola. She pulled me into that world. She was the only one who understood what I was going though and she became a …I guess a friend. I was hooked after my first time. The danger and numbness were so appealing. It got to the point where, I didn't care if I died, as long as I could be numb."

Kylie moved closer to him, intertwining her legs with his as she tucked her head into his chest further so she could curl into a ball and drew shapes with her finger sadly. This was tough for her to hear, but it was a part of his past that she needed to hear. She just couldn't even begin to imagine what he had to be feeling, how no one had ever shown him love.

He rubbed a hand up and down her back as he tried to continue, "That's when I met Cahill. Lola got in over her head with him and dragged me in too. He saw my observational skill and promised to forgive Lola's debt and give me what I wanted, which at that point in my life, was drugs."

Kylie shut her eyes and laid a kiss on his chest. She could feel his pain as he was telling this story. She regretted looking behind the periodic table and digging through his past. It was selfish of her…why was she so stupid. He had been through so much.

"I was pretty much his right hand man. I couldn't instantly tell when people lied to him, product was faked, money was counterfeited… I caused a lot of hurt, and turned my back on most of it."

"He killed people?" Kylie asked softly.

"Tortured then killed," Sherlock said swallowing hard, "I once saw him gauge out a fifteen year old's eyes with a pocket knife for stealing product from him."

Kylie's heart broke for him.

"I was shocked I was able to get out when I did," Sherlock told her.

"Why did you leave?" Kylie asked.

"I couldn't turn my back on that anymore. I was in and out of jail, Lestrade was the one who arrested me half the time."

"That's how you two met?"

Sherlock nodded, "He's the one who gave me the idea of becoming a consulting detective. I didn't know what to do with myself, and he made a joke about how he wished I worked for him catching these guys."

Kylie nodded and cuddled closer to him, "What happened between you and Lola."

Sherlock got immediately uncomfortable, "She uh…stayed with Cahill."

Kylie lifted her head and looked at him.

"You two were friends," Kylie said confused.

Sherlock's eyes looked at the ceiling, "She began to feel …differently about me."

Then it clicked. "She fell in love with you," Kylie whispered to him.

Sherlock nodded, "So we parted ways."

"Did you love her?" Kylie asked looking at him intently.

Sherlock's eyes met hers, "No, I didn't."

Kylie could see the sincerity in his eyes as he brought a hand to her face and brushed her hair out of her face.

Kylie nodded and laid her head back down on his chest and relaxed into him once more.

They just laid there in silence as they held each other.

"I'm so sorry that happened to you Sherlock," Kylie whispered as she gently kissed the junction between his neck and his collarbone.

He just pulled her tighter to him and kissed her forehead, holding her close as they both became lost in their own thoughts and eventually both of their eyes shut in the first sleep that Sherlock had had in almost a week.

**The middle part was bad, I know. I hope it was tasteful…I always get super self-conscious writing those scenes. I hope I gave you guys enough warning and I wont get any messages that I scarred people. **

**Review?**


	75. Chapter 75

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! Seriously I wouldn't still be writing if it weren't for your words of encouragement!  
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**Here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy!  
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Kylie was warm. She felt safe a warm. She smelled clean soap, clean soap and that unmistakable smell…Sherlock.

Kylie opened her eyes and smiled at a sleeping Sherlock. He looked so at peace, so content. She knew he was exhausted. He hadn't slept since this whole thing had begun with Thomas…

Thomas…

It was odd, last night Thomas hadn't even popped into her mind as she made love to him. That had been one of her worst fears since her flash backs began, and it hadn't been a problem at all. It was just her and Sherlock. He wasn't Thomas…

She smiled as she cuddled closer to him and reflected on the night before. Sure, he had lied to her, and he shouldn't have, but she understood why he did it. He was trying to protect her, however messed up a way it was. He should have told her that he had Mycroft kill Thomas; he should have told her that he was looking for the cabbie, and he should have told her that he knew the woman. She just felt guilty for looking behind the table, for running away in shock.

She drew shapes on his chest lightly, as not to wake him as she thought. She had almost left him, almost left for the hills. In fact, if it hadn't been for Mary and John, she would be long gone by now. It had taken her conversation with them along with a few cups of teas to help her decide, and truthfully it hadn't been until she saw the sorrow in Sherlock's face that she had decided.

Thomas had never been sad, never. Thomas was a messed up psychopath…he wasn't. He loved her, he would never hurt her. She knew that now.

She looked at him and felt her heart swell with emotion toward the man beside her. She couldn't imagine her life without him. Dealing with the problems between them was nothing compared to the pain and suffering that she would feel if she had left London for the second time.

She felt him stir slightly and she smiled as she laid a kiss on his chest and looked at him as he opened his eyes.

She smiled at him, "Hi,"

"Morning," he said as he yawned and pulled her towards him.

She laughed slightly as he ran a hand through his now severely unruly hair.

He looked at her strangely as she ran a hand through it.

"Your hair looks crazy," she laughed as she played with the curls.

He frowned at her as he tried to tame it hopelessly.

Kylie laughed and messed it up again, causing him to narrow his eyes at her.

"You are not a morning person," she said smiling as she kissed his nose.

He just looked at her confused as she smiled at him, "I mean you never do solve cases in the morning," she joked.

Sherlock frowned for a second before smirking at her smart-ass nature. He chuckled lightly and kissed her forehead as she settled back down into him.

Kylie smiled as she ran a hand up and down his torso, "I like this," she said, "We should sleep on the couch more often."

Sherlock raised an eyebrow as he shut his eyes again, "Well, it is my couch," he quipped in reference of the night before.

Kylie giggled, "Yes, well I enjoyed christening it," she said slyly as she climbed on top of him, pulling her towel off, leaving her only under the blanket, "Maybe we should do it again?" she said as a grin pulled at her lips before she leaned down and kissed him once more.

She felt Sherlock's arms wrap around her and travel up and down her bare back as they began to lose themselves in each other, when the front door banged open.

"Sherlock did Kylie…?" John began as he walked into the flat along with Charlie and Mary before he noticed them on the couch, "Oh God, sorry," he said as he turned around and averted his eyes as Mary raised her eyebrows and Charlie gaped.

"You've got to be kidding me," Kylie groaned as she dropped her head into the crook of his neck.

"Are you naked?" Charlie asked with a perverted smile on his face as his eyes took in her bare back as she laid on top of Sherlock, earning a punch in the shoulder from Mary as Kylie and Sherlock both glared.

"MY FLAT!" Kylie yelled as Sherlock pulled the blanket up over her shoulders and glared at Charlie.

"What are you doing here?" Sherlock snapped at them, earning an amused look from Mary.

"Someone's grumpy because we interrupted," she said laughing.

Sherlock glared as Kylie grabbed her towel and began wrapping herself in it as she used the blanket and Sherlock to shield her.

"You think?" Kylie said annoyed as she scooted down off of Sherlock and wedged herself between his body and the couch.

John turned around finally and smirked wildly, "Karma's a bitch."

Kylie bit back a laugh at John's still bitterness that Kylie had convinced Mary to withhold sex until they were married.

"You guys just really need to learn to knock," Kylie said as she laid her head on Sherlock's shoulder.

"Well, it wouldn't be an issue if you two weren't doing it like jackrabbits in here," Mary smirked as she sat herself in one of the armchairs.

"Did you two do it on that couch?" John asked, a smile on his face.

"First of all, we do not 'do it like jackrabbits, you all just decide to come over just about every time we do," Kylie told then before turning to John, "And, our flat," she reminded him as Mary smiled.

"Remember when we did it on that couch?" she asked John as she smiled and Charlie began laughing.

Kylie and Sherlock's eyes shot open as they looked at a laughing John and Mary with horror.

"You two…?" Kylie asked.

"MY COUCH!" Sherlock yelled angrily as they both tried to scramble off the couch without exposing any part of themselves. They awkwardly stood there as Kylie was pressed against Sherlock's chest while he held the blanket around them.

Mary had to suppress a laugh at the couple. They were both wide-eyed and standing there in just a blanket and supposedly towels as their hair looked like chaos. They had to have had a damn good shag.

"We just…ugh…" Kylie said in disgust as Charlie, Mary, and John laughed at them, "I seriously love you both, but…ugh…." She said before putting her head in the crook of Sherlock's neck.

Sherlock looked at his couch, torn between burning it, or scrubbing it down with a toothbrush.

"I'll have to get it sanitized now," Sherlock muttered as Charlie laughed.

"You weren't going to otherwise?" he laughed at him.

Sherlock glared before he began to move Kylie slowly towards the bedroom to get dressed, awkwardly walking as they were both wrapped in the same blanket.

The group watched them in amusement before they finally reached the door, closing it behind them.

Charlie turned to a grinning John and Mary, "Did you two really do it on that couch?"

John grinned as he shook his head, "No, we just wanted revenge."

"Revenge for what?" Charlie asked as he leaned on the table.

Mary laughed, "So many things."

Charlie smirked as he picked up a book Sherlock had lying on the table and flipped through it as Mary looked at him.

"Sally call you yet?" Mary asked.

Charlie just looked at her as John looked as if he was going to hurl.

"Seriously mate," John told him, "That's disgusting."

"What?" Charlie asked, "She's hot!"

"Have you spoken to her?" John gaped, "The woman is poison, stupid, and crazy in bottle."

Mary laughed at Charlie's expression, he clearly wasn't getting it.

"Yeah," Charlie said, "But she's hot!"

Mary shook her head, "Charlie, we all love you, but you are a messed up man-whore."

Charlie smiled a flirtatious grin at Mary, "Well, I can certainly..." Charlie began as he came onto her.

"Don't even think about it," John said through gritted teeth.

Mary smiled as she got up and kissed John's cheek before she walked into the kitchen to make tea as Sherlock emerged from the bedroom fully dressed and with much tamer hair.

"Well, glad you two made up then," Charlie commented to Sherlock as he tried to escape John's glaring.

"Not that its any of your business," Sherlock said in annoyance as he sat at the table and began sorting through files before looking at John suddenly, "Why are you here?"

"Devon?" John said with raised eyebrows, "We are going back to look…?"

"Yes," Sherlock said shaking his head, how could he have forgotten, "Of course."

Charlie grinned, "Must have been some good make-up sex."

Sherlock glared at Charlie as Kylie came out if the bedroom.

"You still up for dress shopping?" Mary asked as she entered the room once more.

"OH!" Kylie exclaimed, "yeah, whens your appointment?"

"In a half-hour," Mary said handing Kylie her jacket, "We can still make it if we leave now."

"Crap," Kylie said, "Sorry, I was supposed to meet you at your flat!"

Mary smiled as Kylie put on her jacket, "By the pans on the floor, I can tell you were otherwise occupied."

Kylie and Sherlock blushed furiously as Mary laughed. Kylie grabbed her bag and walked over to Sherlock, kissing his cheek.

"I'll see you tonight," she told him quietly.

"Dress shopping takes all day?" Sherlock asked as he looked at her.

"It's a task finding the perfect dress," Kylie said, "And it's my job to make sure she looks damn good in it."

"I thought you had a dress," John said frowning, "You said it was going to go with the…er…theme…"

Kylie snorted as she tried to cover it with a cough and Mary grinned walking over to her fiancé and running a hand down his chest, "I just want to make sure everything all fits together. There could be a better dress out there."

John looked at her as if she had lost her mind before nodding, "If that's what you want."

Mary smiled and kissed him before walking out the door. John turned to the rest of them where Charlie was looking at him as if he's lost his mind, Sherlock was staring blankly, and Kylie was fighting a smile.

"Mary has you whipped," Kylie said smirking as she began to cross the room to follow her.

"I am not whipped," John said frowning.

"You so are man," Charlie said before mockingly cracking a whip and making the noise.

"Bye boys," Kylie said laughing, "Try not to get into too much trouble!"

The door shut behind her and Sherlock looked at John, "Since when do we get into trouble?"

**% $ *#^**

"Mary, I have got to say you are evil for keeping John strung along with the Dalek thing," Kylie said as she took a bite of the cake the boutique had given them.

"Yeah, I know. But its damn fun though isn't it?" Mary said from the dressing room trying on the fourth dress.

Kylie laughed, "it really is…"

"So the two of you made up then?" Mary asked.

Kylie rolled her eyes, she knew this was coming, "Yeah we did."

"No matter what happens the two of you will always come running back to one another," Mary said smirking as she put the dress on.

Kylie raised her eyebrows, "I'm sorry?"

"You two are perfect for each other, more so than most. Its evident that the two of you were made for each other," Mary said.

"You don't know that," Kylie said smiling. She really did love Sherlock. She felt more emotion, more crazy feelings for that man than anyone she had ever met, but she hadn't told anyone that..Well, except him.

Mary scoffed, "Please, have you seen how much that man has changed for you?"

Kylie furrowed her eyebrows, "I don't want him to change."

"He has though Kylie, in a good way. He isn't as…well, sociopathic as he used to be. He feels, he loves you."

Kylie smiled, though her mind was racing, the last thing she wanted was to change him. She loved him for who he was, and she didn't want him to change.

"It's not a bad thing Kylie," Mary said as she came out of the dressing room, "He just evolved."

Kylie looked her friend up and down as she stood in front of the mirror.

"Sorry Mary," Kylie said, "I have to say that I still like the first dress that you tried on."

"I know, that lacy one?" Mary said as she looked at herself disapprovingly.

Kylie nodded.

Mary sighed, "I really think that that is the one."

Kylie smiled and took another bite of cake, "Well, lets go get it then."

**^%^#*$**

"Who IS HE?" Sherlock yelled in annoyance as they sat at Baker Street looking though military file after military file, hoping to find a match to the cabbie.

John just looked at his friend, this was tearing him up. He knew Sherlock never liked loose ends, but when it came to a man who touched the woman he cared for, it was a whole nother battle.

Sherlock hopped in his chair so he was squatting in the seat, John never knew why the man couldn't just sit normally in a chair.

"There's a cornel in Westchester…" Charlie began as he squinted at the file, "Oh never mind he's black."

"Would it kill you to think before you speak?" Sherlock snapped, "Silence is so much better than your idiotic remarks that dumb down society."

John threw down his file in anger, "Sherlock I realize that you are pissed because you cant find this bastard, but biting off the heads of the people who are trying to help you find him is not going to help."

Sherlock just glared at him.

"This would be a whole lot easier of we had MI5's military files," Charlie commented as he ran a hand over his face.

Sherlock sat there drumming his fingers impatiently before he got up; grabbing is coat and jacket before storming out of the room.

John just looked at Charlie.

"Where is he going?" Charlie asked as they both hopped up.

"Not where I think he's going I hope," John said as he ran out after him.

**^#%^#*&$**

"Mary you are going to drop all of the men at your wedding," Kylie said as she clicked her glass of wine to Mary's.

"And you are going to stun everyone in that bride's maid dress," Mary said as she took a sip, "Though my cousin will look dreadful in it. Its pretty good being the maid of honor isn't it?"

Kylie smirked and took a sip of wine. After all day of searching, they had finally went back to the first store and bought the dress that Mary had loved all along. They spent the rest of the day forcing dress after dress onto Kylie, finally finding one that both Mary and Kylie loved, deciding on the bride's maid dresses. They had then decided for a celebratory drink at Mary's favorite pub before heading back to Baker Street.

"At least I'm not dressed as a Dalek," Kylie joked as her phone began ringing.

She set down her glass of wine and fished around her purse for her phone, pulling it out and frowning at the number. She didn't recognize it.

Mary sipped her wine as Kylie picked it up.

"Hello? Oh, Hi Lestrade. THEY WHAT?" Kylie yelled, causing the entire pub to quiet. Mary just stared at her friend as she pinched the bridge of her nose, "Did they say why?" she sighed, "Okay I'm with Mary, we're on our way now."

Mary looked at her with wide eyes as Kylie placed a few bills on the table and grabbed her coat.

"What?"

Kylie just looked at her, "Charlie, John, and Sherlock got arrested."

Mary's jaw fell slack as she gaped at her friend, "You're kidding for what?"

Kylie sighed as they walked out of the pub and tried to hail a cab.

"For breaking into the Thames House."

**Review?**


	76. Chapter 76

**A huge thanks to everyone who reviewed! **

**Dianalee Holmes: I just started the 6****th****season….**

**Random-anime-gamer: yes…yes I have…. Lol I was hoping someone would catch on to the reference.**

**A huge thanks to chelgallifreya221B613, bored411, thegirlwiththebrowneyes, thegirlwhoimagined, djbirdywantstofly, kie1993, optimisticlivvy, and gwilwillith for their reviews also!**

**I'm sorry this chapter is pretty lame, it was just kind of needed…so sorry its bad….**

**Enjoy!**

"Why in the HELL would they break into the Thames House?" Mary asked as they quickly strolled into the Yard, making their way towards the holding cells.

Kylie shook her head and sighed, She had no clue why they would do something so stupid, but she had a feeling it had something to do with "case" that he was working.

They walked into the holding room where they saw Lestrade talking to the desk officer and Donovan leaning against it smirking.

"Psychopath is where he belongs," Donovan told Kylie smirking before turning to Mary, "I told John and Charlie that he was dangerous."

"Listen slut," Kylie spat as she took a step towards Donovan, bringing Lestrade's attention to them, "We had a conversation about this so how about you hold your vile tongue before I yank it out of your body."

"Ladies," Lestrade said trying to break up what he knew was an impending fight.

"Where are they?" Mary asked with slight worry in her voice.

"They're being held in the drunk tank," Lestrade told them as Kylie and Mary gaped.

"They were drunk?" Mary asked.

"No, just crazy," Donovan said.

Kylie's fist met Donovan's face before she even realized what she was doing, knocking Donovan flat on the floor.

"OI!" the guard yelled immediately leaping up to arrest Kylie before Lestrade stopped him and just looked at Kylie and Donovan, "You two done?"

Donovan stared up at him in amazement, "She just hit an officer!"

"She is an officer too and you egged her on," Lestrade told Donovan impassively.

Mary smirked victoriously as Donovan gaped at her boss.

"Can we bail them out?" Kylie asked him.

Lestrade nodded, "I just have to have you sign these papers for those three idiots."

Kylie rubbed her temples as her hand throbbed; she was going to kill all of them…

"But sir," the desk officer gaped at Lestrade, "They committed a federal offence! They have to be held for at least…"

"If you check, I'll bet you its been taken care of," Lestrade told him.

"You called Mycroft?" Kylie asked as she signed two of the forms, handing Mary the third.

Lestrade nodded, "It was the only way I could have them brought here and not send to Pentonville straight away."

Kylie rubbed her temples; she could feel a headache coming on. Her boyfriend had made incredibly rash decisions and broken into one of the most secure buildings in the UK for some reason that was unknown to her and now his brother was most likely going to show up at their flat and bicker, putting them all in a foul mood and ruining the hopefully peaceful night that Kylie had hoped for after the disaster that was yesterday.

All that she knew was that those three men had a LOT of explaining to do.

The desk officer took the papers and scurried off to retrieve them.

"Why in the HELL would they try to break into the Thames house?" Kylie asked Lestrade.

He sighed, "The sad thing is, is that they were found inside on a secure computer. They were there for twenty minutes before they were caught."

Mary gaped, "The headquarters for MI5, they broke into the head quarters for MI5 and were able to stay in there for twenty minutes."

Lestrade rubbed a tired hand over his face, "No clue how they did it."

"Do you know why?" Kylie asked.

Lestrade shifted awkwardly.

"Lestrade?" Kylie said picking up on awkwardness.

"They were looking at military files," he told them.

Mary turned to her, "Didn't you say the cabbie served in the military?"

Kylie shut her eyes in annoyance, they had just made up about this and he has to go and do something crazy like this. Why in the hell hadn't Charlie and John stopped him?

There was a buzz and the officer walked out the door, followed by Sherlock, John, and Charlie who were all handcuffed.

Mary glared at her fiancé while Kylie just looked at them with an exhausted expression.

"You okay?" Mary asked them as she glared.

John nodded as the officer uncuffed him and he rubbed his wrists.

"Yeah we're okay….OW!" John began to say before Mary slapped his chest angrily.

"You broke into the THAMES HOUSE?" Mary yelled at him.

Kylie just pinched the bridge of her nose before walking over and hugging Charlie briefly before smacking the back of his head, "You are so getting fired for that."

Charlie shrugged, "I was already essentially unemployed."

Kylie gaped at him as she made her way over to Sherlock.

"I pissed off the captain pretty bad," Charlie said shrugging.

"I'll talk to him," Lestrade told him as he uncuffed Sherlock.

Kylie looked at him; he had a bruise under his eye as if he had been "roughed up" by security. She tenderly touched it with concern, causing him to flinch slightly. She sighed as her heart broke at his pain, and her headache grew from the stupidity that they had done.

Kylie hugged him as Mary bickered at John and Charlie talked with Lestrade, leaving the two of them in their own world. Sherlock put his arms around her as she put her forehead in the crook of his neck.

She pulled away and looked at him sadly. Sherlock's heart twinged when he saw a disappointed look on her face.

"Come on," Kylie told him, "Let's go home, we need to talk."

The pit in Sherlock's stomach grew; she was disappointed with him.

She thanked Lestrade and walked out of the Yard. Sherlock just watched her go before following her.

He found her on the curb outside, running a hand through her hair. He just silently stood next to her. He didn't know what to do, or say. He had to get in there, that was the only way.

John, Mary, and Charlie appeared as Kylie did everything she could to avoid his eyes.

They hopped into a cab and Kylie shuffled in to the far window, Sherlock sat awkwardly beside her as the rest filled the cab and they set off towards Baker Street.

Sherlock watched Kylie rub her temples once more. Her head was killing her, he could tell. He found himself wanting to brush her hair back and kiss her throbbing temple, but he couldn't. Not with everyone in the car, not with her disappointed with him.

His hand accidentally brushed her leg; he hadn't even noticed that he had moved his hand from his lap. How in the hell had that happened? Around her, he had no control over his body… he didn't understand.

Kylie smiled slightly before grabbing his hand and giving it a small squeeze before returning her hand to her lap and her gaze out the window as they car ride back was silent and awkward.

They finally arrived.

"I'll just take this cab home," Charlie told them as he a John stayed put.

"No, Out," Kylie told him, "All of you."

John, Charlie, and Sherlock all exchanged glances as Mary and Kylie clambered out…they were definitely in trouble.

The men slowly made their way up the stairs to see a pissed off looking Mary and disbelieving Kylie leaning against the table.

"I think I'll just go," Charlie said turning around.

"No, SIT," Mary said sternly.

Charlie's eyes widened, the petite strawberry blond was pissed.

The men sat obediently in the armchairs before Kylie pinched the bridge of her nose.

"WHAT IN THE HELL WERE YOU LOT THINKING?" Mary said going off on them.

"Mary," John said patiently, "Its not what it looked like."

Mary just gaped at him, "Not what it looked…what was it supposed to look like John?"

"We uh…" John began, not really knowing how to answer.

"What in God's name possessed you all to think, 'hey, I know lets break into the MI5 headquarters to look at military files.' Let me guess, trying to find the cabbie?" Kylie asked them.

They all froze, none of them had really expected her to find out that they had been looking at military files.

Kylie rubbed her temples once more, "Look, I know that you lot care, and that's why you are looking, but seriously? Breaking into one of the most secure buildings?" Kylie asked them.

"And why did you all let him?" Kylie asked looking at John and Charlie.

"Let me?" Sherlock asked before Kylie looked at him passively, no anger in her voice or face.

"I'll get to you in a minute," Kylie told him before turning back to John and Charlie, "I know that crazy ideas come up, but it is friends who stop you from going through with those crazy ideas…"

"Like breaking into the Thames House?" Mary asked calming down slightly, though anger was still laced in her voice.

"We can't identify him," Charlie told them, earning a glare from John and Sherlock as if he were talking to an enemy after being interrogated.

"You guys are trying to identify him?" Mary asked.

"We are trying to find him. Sherlock thinks that he may be taking over Thomas's reign," John said as Sherlock glared at him.

"Why on earth would you think that?" Kylie asked, "You lot had him assassinated!"

Sherlock shifted uncomfortably as John and Charlie both turned to look at him in shock he hadn't told her.

"What?" Kylie asked.

"It wasn't Mycroft's man who killed him," Sherlock said quietly.

Kylie gaped. They had JUST fought about this, a fight that had almost broken them up. He seriously….?

Kylie pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to contain her emotions.

"Look Kylie, don't be pissed with him," Charlie interjected before Kylie waved her hand looking up at them, heartbroken.

"Look, can you all leave please," she said quietly.

Mary, John and Charlie all looked at each other as Kylie stared at the ground and Sherlock paled slightly. They all silently got up and left the flat, closing the door behind them.

Kylie just rubbed her temples for a moment, she really needed some Advil…

"Sherlock," She said frustration and disappointment in her voice, "Why didn't you tell me? We JUST had a fight about this?"

Sherlock just looked at her, he hated seeing her like this.

"Mycroft told me right after he couldn't keep his mouth shut," Sherlock said in a quiet, bitter voice.

Kylie ran a hand through her hair, "I need you to tell me these things! Why didn't you just say something?"

"You looked behind the table…." He said in an even quieter voice.

Kylie closed her eyes, she guessed that made sense. Distracted by an even bigger fight, an even bigger fright.

She walked over to him and straddled him so she could look him in the eyes, "I know you care, I know you love me. I know that that is why you did something so incredibly stupid that I want to smack you in the head, but Sherlock, something's aren't worth it."

Sherlock just looked at her, "We know who he is. He was the one who took the shot at Thomas."

"That nice cabbie," Kylie said raising her eyebrows at him.

"The same one who pistol whipped you?"

Kylie frowned, she had forgotten that part.

"He told me he had been a sniper," she told him thinking back to that car ride.

"He was," Sherlock told her, "He was decommissioned for War Crimes against Britain."

"Who is he?" Kylie asked.

"Cornel Sebastian Moran," he told her.

Kylie froze, she knew that name. It was a name that hadn't come into her world in a very long time. A name that she had never wanted to hear again.

**Lame, but needed….**

**Review?**


	77. Chapter 77

**Literally, shortest chapter ever. Sorry guys! I am attempting this thing because I am not swamped with work., called a social life. Hahaha well for the next two weeks before work goes back into full swing and then school!**

**Oh and for those of you who do not know, Sebastian Moran IS an original character from the mind of ACD! He is mainly in the book the Empty House (Which is where Season three will start out. Here's to hoping Moffatiss includes this brilliant character!) ACD had him as Moriarty's right hand man who sees them tumble over the fall and runs. When he finds that Sherlock is alive, they both begin tracking each other in a game of cat and mouse. I really think that he was the only person that the Robert Downey version nailed. (I love that movie, but BBC is much more accurate to the books even though its modern day… Moffat and Gattis are BRILLIANT!)**

**Anyhows, thanks to all of my amazing reviewers! You gusy seriously made my day!**

**Veronika: You are so sweet! Thanks my dear! I hope you enjoy the rest!**

**Elleari: I don't know what head-cannon you are talking about! So prob not ahahhahaha. And you will see my dear!**

**ChelGallifreya221B613: I hope you feel better!  
**

**DJ birdywants to fly: No, you are not a bad person…I feel the same…but I also wrote it…And btw, thanks for your support! **

**A huge thanks to DianaleeHolmes, Rainbowassassin, thegirlwhoimagined, bored411, Rhythmicsound, gwilwillith, and thegirlwiththebrowneyes for their reviews also!**

**Enjoy! Sorry its short.**

"Cornel Sebastian Moran," Sherlock told her as she sat in his lap facing him.

He frowned as he watched her face go white. She knew that name, how did she know that name?

"Kylie?" He asked, his voice full of concern.

"You're sure?" Kylie asked him.

"Postive," Sherlock told her his eyes trying to analyze every move that she was making, trying to deduce what she was freaked out about.

She just sat there for a moment, trapped in her own thoughts and ran a hand through her hair like she always did when she was stressed.

"Kylie?" he asked gently, bringing a hand up to her face; his touch bringing her back to the real world once more.

She just looked at him, her bright blue eyes wide.

"How do you know that name?" Sherlock asked her.

She just looked at him for another moment before climbing off his lap and grabbing her phone, dialing a number.

"I have to call my Dad," she told him as she paced the living room.

"Kylie!" Sherlock said as he grabbed her hands and forced her to look at him, "How do you know that name?"

She looked at him before closing her eyes and trying to calm herself, "I know him because of my Dad, and because of NCIS."

"What do they know of him?" Sherlock asked.

Kylie sighed, "I was sixteen when I found that file," she smiled slightly, "I was bored in school, so I would steal my Dad's work files and try to solve the case myself."

She looked down for a moment, as if to compose her thoughts, "The file I found on him was disturbing in the least. He was wanted by the British government for crimes against his country and against the United Nations. NCIS put him at the top of their wanted list next to the leaders of the Taliban and Saddam. The thing was though, that I found that he had served in a regime that was paired with my fathers in Desert Storm."

"Your father knew him?"

Kylie nodded, "Served beside him on a specialized sniper team. So I asked my Dad about him. My Dad froze and told me I didn't need to worry about him and took away the file. He began locking them in the safe, but I managed to find my way in there. It wasn't until I had just graduated from George Washington that I figured out why he had freaked."

Kylie took a breath, she had never told anyone this before, "When I was ten, my father left unexpectedly for a week to go to Mexico. I found out later, he had tracked down the man who he believed had shot my mother and sister. He shot him, my Dad murdered their murder. We both thought it was done with. Of course he never told me, I figured it out on my own. Even at ten, my father couldn't keep things from me."

"When they had served together, my father noted that he would always comment on what a beautiful family he had. They used to talk about what they had left behind, what they had to go back to. Moran had nothing, that's what made him such a damn good soilder. He saved my fathers life countless times on the field. That sniper team saved the lives of thousands of people. When they were over there, Moran went A-WAL for a week, the same week my mother and sister were killed. Upon his return to combat, he was found to have been committing the War-crimes he was accused of."

"Needless to say, my father didn't make the connection until the Cartels who were believed to have killed them took my father. They essentially put him on trial for the death of their man and claimed that he was not ordered to kill my mother and sister. Abby began looking into the forensics and was able to determine that the shot was made from a 1000 yards away, not the five feet that the man my father shot was to have killed them."

"Moran was the man who killed your mother and sister."

Kylie shut her eyes, causing a single tear to fall, "And I befriended him. I befriended that monster," she said shaking her head. "My father thought he had just been hired by another Cartel, thinking this was about the drug deal, but at the time, he was probable working for a young Moriarty and made it look as if that man had killed them, beginning a war between the Cartels."

Kylie just stared at the ground, kicking herself for not seeing this sooner, she had never seen a picture of him, so how could she have known? She couldn't have…

She felt Sherlock's arms drape around her and pull her in tightly against him. She relaxed immediately. She wasn't sure how on earth he did it, but in his arms, all of Kylie's worries seem to slowly melt away. She knew that with him by her side, they could solve any problem that made their way over to them.

"What do you have that I don't?" a female voice said from the enterance.

Kylie and Sherlock turned to see the same dirty and twitching woman that Kylie had met earlier in the streets….Lola….the crack whore….

"WHAT? I DON'T SEE IT!" Lola cried as she reached a shaking hand into her pocket.

"Lola," Sherlock breathed, he obviously hadn't seen her in a very long time. The dirt, filth, drugs, and scars that marred her body from her life on the streets was shocking to say the least.

"I loved you Sherlock, I still do," she told him as her face tweaked suddenly, "What do you see in that whore? How was I not good enough for you? You need me. You always have needed me," Lola said pulling a gun out of her large coat pocket.

Kylie's breath caught in her throat. A twitchy drug addict holding a gun…not a good combination. She eyed the drawer where she kept her glock.

"Lola, she's not a whore, put the gun down," Sherlock said patiently as he stepped in front of Kylie, as if to block her from Lola. Kylie could hear the twinge of fear in his voice, he obviously had the same thoughts about the situation at hand.

"YES…yes she is," Lola said as she scratched her extended arm that held that gun, "Whores aren't clean…not clean….not deserving…"

Kylie's eyes widened, she wasn't sure if this was the drugs or a psychotic break of some sort.

"Put down the gun," Sherlock said stepping closer to her.

"I did so much for you. I gave you my life!" Lola cried at him as she began to wave the gun wildly.

"You're sick," Sherlock told her, "Now be rational and put the gun down."

_Oh yeah Sherlock, tell an emotionally unstable drug addict to be rational…that will work._

"I LOVE YOU! Why her? Why not me?" Lola cried twitching wildly once more.

Sherlock slowly approached her, he was about a foot away.

"She's one of them!" Lola cried as her hand began to tense on the trigger, twitching and jerking, "Not worthy… What makes her different? What makes her special. You love me."

"No, I don't Lola, now put the gun down," Sherlock told her as he reached for the gun.

Kylie was reaching for her Glock when her heart dropped in her throat.

A gun shot echoed through the flat…

No….

**Cliff….**

**Reveiw**


	78. Chapter 78

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I love you all!  
**

**I had like 50 people threaten my life for that last chapter so I cant thank you all!**

**Also, I wanted to clarify something. I think I said this in the first story, but in the series Sherlock notes in the GREAT GAME that Moriarty started at a very young age. According to MY timeline in this story, Kylie's mother's death was when she was six. She's a few years younger than Sherlock and so both him and Moriarty were very early teens at the time (Sherlock most likely younger) when this occurred. Moran however is about fifty… Just an FYI that I know there was some confusion on.**

**A huge thanks to the girlwiththebrowneyes, Optimistic Livvy (I PMed you!), the girlwhoimagined. X-PoisonCherry_X, Chelgallifreya221B613, DJbirdywantstofly, gwilwillith, Alex455and bored411 for their reviews as well as…**

**fanfreak4ever: I am sorry I chucked your heart…hopefully it will recover after this chapter. And I HATE cats…very valid threat.**

**Rainbowassissin: I actually forgot about that episode! I didn't even make that connection! Weird…and yeah, she is…**

**JEsness31: Its all good! I love cliffs too much!  
**

**A MASSIVE thanks to Elleari for letting me bounce ideas and helping me with plot stuff. It really helped a lot!**

**Okay, LAST THING! I realize that I will be criticized for moving super fast by the end of this chapter…a lot of stuff happens…but it is set up this way for a reason, so bare with me please!**

**On with the story!**

Kylie's heart sank into her stomach as she was frozen in place with fear and dread. She heard someone began to run out of the flat and turned in time to see Lola sprint down the stairs.

Sherlock...

Kylie could only see legs, motionless legs as the man she loved lay on the ground.

No... Please dear God...

She sprinted over to see Sherlock with his eyes open panting slightly. Relief spread through her body as she began frantically checking his body for wounds even though a bullet lay in the wood floor not two inches from his head.

He just looked at Kylie as if she had lost her mind.

"Thank God, oh thank God," Kylie muttered before she hugged him tightly.

Sherlock just sat up and looked at her strangely before picking up the gun that lay beside him, tossing it lightly as Kylie let go of him.

"Well, got the gun," he said putting on the safety and tossing it lightly in the air happily.

He looked over and saw Kylie glare at him before she slap his chest…hard.

He silently flinched as his eyes widened, taking in a tear stained and slightly shaking Kylie.

"Don't you DARE do that again!" Kylie told him.

He just looked at her puzzled, he really didn't understand what was wrong with the woman in front of him.

She hit him again before launching herself at him and hugging him tightly.

Sherlock put his arms around her timidly as she nuzzled his neck, "I thought I had lost you."

Sherlock looked around as he hugged her, "you didn't."

"I thought she had shot you," Kylie told him.

"The gun went off in the struggle when I tried to grab it."

"Shut up," Kylie told him as she held him tightly.

Sherlock felt tears hitting his neck. Why was she crying? He was fine.

HE pulled her back and looked at her. Tears were streaming down her face as she looked at the bullet that was now embedded in their living room floor.

He timidly wiped her tears off her face, not knowing what else to do. She reached up and grabbed his hand, holding it as if she were savoring the fact that it still had blood pumping through it.

It amazed Sherlock that this woman could care so much. He was fine; he didn't see what the big deal was. But this woman was this upset at the very idea that he could have been hurt. It was curious; no one had ever been like this before in his life. Sure, John fretted like a mother hen, but he was pretty sure that he would not react in the same fashion as Kylie had.

He felt Kylie's lips on his and he closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth and electricity that still raced through him every time their lips touched.

Kylie pulled away and ran a hand down his cheek before looking at him, "She needs help Sherlock."

He sighed, the woman definitely needed help. It hurt him to see her like that, made him nauseous knowing that he would be in that same place had he stayed in that life.

"I know," he told her.

Kylie looked down and shifted awkwardly.

"She still loves you," Kylie said quietly.

"She's also having a psychotic break," Sherlock told her as he got up off the floor and bent down to help her as well.

Kylie bit her tongue; he was oblivious to her worries. She was most likely overreacting anyhow.

Mycroft entered the flat frowning, "The Thames House?"

"Took you three hours Mycroft," Sherlock said as he sat at the table in the living room.

"No, I was cleaning up after you, like I always do," Mycroft said in an annoyed voice.

"If you weren't busy starting wars, and being worried about your career, you would see that I needed to break in," Sherlock retorted.

"You broke into one of the most influential government buildings," Mycroft reprimanded.

"And if I had had stolen something this would be a purposeful conversation, but because I did not, please show yourself out and stop trying to play puppeteer."

"Mycroft's right," Kylie inputted earing a surprised look from both of the Holmes men.

"Sherlock you could have just asked Mycroft to look into it for you, instead you go and get yourself arrested," Kylie told him.

Mycroft smiled, "you should listen more to your girlfriend little brother."

Sherlock just glared daggers at both of them.

"Mother wants the two of you to come to dinner," Mycroft said casually as Kylie about choked on her glass of water she had gotten.

"Tell mother we politely decline," Sherlock retorted.

"She's dying to meet Miss Gibbs here," Mycroft smiled as Sherlock squirmed awkwardly and Kylie paled to the color of a white sheet.

Sherlock just glared at his brother, "No."

Mycroft shrugged, "Then you will go back to jail and face full charges for breaking into the Thames House."

Kylie gaped, "You are seriously blackmailing us into this?"

Mycroft smiled as his phone rang, "Blackmailing is such an awful word. I have to take this, next Friday Sherlock."

With that, Mycroft gave them a small smile and walked out the door.

Kylie just gaped at her boyfriend, this day just kept bringing twist after twist.

**^%#&$^**

"So the cabbie is the guy who killed your mother?" Mary gaped at her as they sat on the floor of Baker Street sorting wedding place cards.

"Yeah," Kylie sighed, "But he's in the wind. Sherlock can't find any trace of him. He's gone back underground."

"I'm sorry sweetie," Mary said as she threw a stack of place cards to the side.

"Oh, my day gets better, just wait," Kylie told her, "Lola came in, and pulled a gun."

"The crack whore we saw?" Mary asked in astonishment.

"Yep, almost shot Sherlock in the head due to her psychotic break, and then Mycroft walks in and blackmails us into going to meet his Mom."

Mary started laughing, "You are going to meet Sherlock Holmes mother?"

Kylie nodded and looked at her, "is it sad that that is by far the most frightening thing I have had to deal with today?"

Mary laughed, "John's parents are both dead so I lucked out on that one."

Kylie cracked a smile, "Is he still having to do that presentation on Romanian art for the parish?"

Mary rolled her eyes, "I still can't believe Sherlock made that comment to my parents."

Kylie giggled, "I found it rather hilarious."

"If that had been your dad…" Mary began.

"He would have just taken out his gun and shot me or someone," Kylie finished for her.

Mary grinned, "You really are nervous to meet his mother."

"OF COURSE I AM!" Kylie groaned, "Witham is going to have a field day with this."

Mary laughed, "You see him today don't you!"

Kylie groaned and looked at her watch, "He should be here any moment."

"Is Sherlock sitting in too?" Mary asked as he was looking at something over on the kitchen table under the microscope.

"Yeah," Kylie said running a hand through her hair, "He's writing an article on us and today is the first session that we are doing for that."

Mary raised her eyebrow at her, "You are letting him write that? The two of you are just going to mess with his head!"

"You've convinced your fiancé that you have a wedding theme of Daleks," Kylie retorted as Witham entered the room with an excited smile on his face.

Mary glanced at Witham and gathered her things, "Touché."

"Dr. Morstan," Witham greeted as Mary passed by on her way out.

"Witham," Mary greeted before she turned back to Kylie, "Cake tasting tomorrow?"

"I'll be there," Kylie smiled.

Witham stood at the door smiling at Kylie as Mary shut the door behind her.

Kylie just rolled her eyes and got up, "Let's get this over with."

Sherlock remained where he was at the table when Kylie came into the kitchen and started the kettle before sitting across from Sherlock and examining some of the human fingers he had in a bag.

Witham walked into the kitchen and froze slightly at the sight of Kylie pulling a bloody finger out of a bag and began messing with it.

"Something wrong Witham?" Kylie smiled as Sherlock rolled his eyes into his microscope, obviously annoyed with Witham's presence.

Witham was three different shades of green, "I thought we could um… begin the session in the living room."

"Oh," Kylie said playing dumb, "I am just waiting for the tea to finish. Actually would you mind getting the crème out of the fridge?"

Sherlock smiled into his microscope, this is why he loved this woman.

Witham shuffled as far away from the fingers that he could as he made his way to fridge. Witham opened it up and let out an extremely girly scream as he laid eyes on the severed head that Sherlock had been experimenting on.

"WHAT IN THE HELL?" Witham yelled.

"I think we'll need just two cups of crème?" Kylie asked Sherlock as if it were perfectly normal to have a head in the fridge. Because for them, it was.

Witham just gaped and fought not to vomit all over the room as he held himself up by placing his hands on his knees.

"How in the hell do the two of you have a human head?" Witham asked.

Kylie smiled as the kettle finished boiling and went to the fridge and opened it so that Witham had to stare at the head, "Sherlock do you want crème?"

Witham turned greener as the head stared back at him, Kylie purposefully holding the door open so he had to stare at it.

"Yes, please," Sherlock said politely.

Kylie frowned, "Should I?" she asked still holding the fridge open, "I mean the last time I had this kind of tea I didn't think that I liked it with crème."

Sherlock poked his head up as Witham was paling quickly, "Hmm, well I believe that was the stronger tea that you didn't like."

Kylie pondered his words, "I think you are right," she said as she grabbed the crème and went to close the door, causing Witham to relax as the head was not staring at him anymore, before she stopped and rethought it, "Or was it that tea that John brought back from Dublin?" she asked him as she reopened the fridge.

"Can you just shut the door?" Witham asked as Kylie opened it wider looking in, making sure to stay out of the head's line of sight, "I think this Chinese is bad too."

Witham just ran out of the room and they heard him puking in the bathroom.

Kylie and Sherlock smiled victoriously; maybe they really were going to get out of this after all.

Witham walked back into the room after a few minutes as Kylie was pouring the tea, looking pale and clammy, but overall better.

"You feeling okay Witham?" Kylie asked.

"John has informed me of a flu that is going around," Sherlock said as he grabbed his tea from Kylie.

Witham just stared at them, "Why do you have a severed head?"

"Oh, that thing?" Kylie asked as if the fact that there was a head in there had escaped her, "Oh that's just an experiment!"

"I hope it didn't bother you," Sherlock said with a fake smile as he wrapped an arm around Kylie's waist.

Witham just gaped at them before closing his eyes and trying to contain his temper, he knew that they were doing this to get him to leave, but he wouldn't have it.

"Are you sure you still want to do the session?" Kylie asked.

"You look feverish," Sherlock commented as he took a sip of tea.

"Yes, lets start shall we?" Witham asked forcing a smile on his face and walking out into the living room.

Kylie and Sherlock followed just in time to see Witham grab his note pad and closed his eyes.

"Do you two have anything else that has hidden gross things around your flat?" he asked joking…kind of …sort of…. not really…

He took a seat on the couch and Kylie had to stifle a giggle, remembering exactly what she and Sherlock had done on that same couch only a few day earlier.

Witham looked at them as Kylie shoved her face into Sherlock's neck to stifle the giggle that threatened to escape and pulled it off to make it look like a flirtatious hug. Sherlock smirked; it actually was quite amusing that this annoying bastard was sitting there unknowing what had happened there.

"I can see the two of you made up quite well," Witham said smiling at them.

"Quite well indeed," Kylie said smirking, as Sherlock smirked as well.

"Okay so lets talk about what lead to the fight to begin with," Witham said.

Kylie and Sherlock looked at him as they sat in the armchairs.

"No, that's private," Kylie said quietly.

"I already know about Mr. Holmes' drug addiction and past with the Irish drug Lord," Witham said matter of factly.

Kylie dropped her mug on the floor.

"How on earth do you know?" Kylie asked as Sherlock's jaw hardened.

"Police records," Witham said, "The ones your brother managed not to erase."

Kylie and Sherlock were silent.

"So this hit home with Thomas's history," Witham said trying to start the discussion.

"We've made up and moved on Witham," Kylie told him firmly, "Pick a new topic."

"How did you make up? Deal with the issue?" Witham asked.

"We dealt with it like adults," Kylie said beginning to get irritated.

"How?"

"Discussion, talked about our feelings, wrote each other a poem and then made friendship bracelets," Kylie snapped.

"I need to know."

"That's what happened Witham," Kylie told him as Sherlock looked as if he were about to punch him.

Witham nodded as his phone went off. He glanced at it before looking back at them.

"I have an emergency consult. But I have a proposition for you two."

Kylie raised her eyebrow, "Not like this fantastic one that we are already in?" Sherlock said sarcastically.

"I know that the two of you are looking for the cabbie that took Dr. Gibbs," Kylie and Sherlock's eyes snapped to him. "Based on the facts that Dr. Gibbs has told me in therapy and the shot he took, I can give you an accurate profile of his character that could lead you to where he is."

"What do we have to do?" Kylie asked as Sherlock held out his hand, "Give it to me," he said at the same time.

Kylie glanced at him as Witham smiled and handed him the file.

"In return," Witham said smiling as he stood, "You two are coming on a double date with Jenny and I. I need to see how the two of you interact in a romantic setting."

Sherlock looked up at him as Kylie froze. There was no way in hell that they wanted to do that.

"Here," Sherlock said handing back the file.

"Nope," Witham said smiling, "You already read it. Lets say Wednesday?"

Witham gave them another smile before walking out of the flat.

Kylie looked at Sherlock, "We need to start asking what the catch is before we get pulled into something worse than dinner with you mother and a double date with Captain twelve-year-old and girl who's voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard."

"There's something worse?" Sherlock groaned as he reopened the file.

Kylie shook her head before getting up and sitting on the edge of his chair reading before she kissed his temple and began playing with his dark curls, "I hope not."

**Like I said, a lot of stuff…**

**Review?**


	79. Chapter 79

"Professor," Halley said as Kylie was writing information on the white board, "How can you differentiate between microfractures. I mean microfractures in the tibia can be caused by shin splints, and also by trauma. How do you know which is caused by which?"

Kylie smiled as she capped her marker pen, "That's a good question Halley. The microfractures each have causes which, if you look at it correctly, you can determine the cause. Stress microfractures are spread out and equal in length and apply to all dexterity of bone. Trauma however will radiate from the point of impact, telling you exactly where the trauma occurred."

"But those fractures are hard to spot," Trent the athlete said from the back.

"That's why you are in this class aren't you?" Kylie said with a smile.

The class groaned lightly.

"What?" She asked with a smile, "You think that all we were going to do was talk about serial killers?"

"Uh, yeah," Trent said.

"Tough Mr. Baker," Kylie said grinning, "Our first exam is on Tuesday so lets review shall we?"

**%#$ ^& **

"Sherlock, its just a tuxedo!" John begged as Kylie walked into the flat and raised an eyebrow at the scene.

Sherlock was sitting at the table wrapped in just a sheet, the same way she had left him earlier that morning. He was stubbornly reading on the laptop while John stood there furious with steam coming out of his ears.

"I have suits," Sherlock said dismissively.

"You are my best man! It's a wedding! You have to wear the tuxedo!" John complained.

"Hello boys," Kylie said as she walked into the flat and removed her heels, looking at Sherlock and smirked before kissing him briefly in front of John. Sherlock blushed as he glanced at John as Kylie grinned.

"When I left you, you were clothed. Though I'm not complaining, I like you like this," She smirked running a hand down his bare chest where the sheet was gaping.

"Are you two going to shag?" John snapped.

Kylie grinned at him, "ooh, someone's touchy!" she said as she removed her glasses.

"He wont go to his fitting!" John complained.

"Wow two toddlers arguing with each other," Kylie laughed as she sat on the arm of Sherlock's chair.

John frowned at her, "I am acting like a toddler?"

"You just stomped your foot and you are arguing with a grown man who purposely got dressed in just a sheet just to piss you off and is currently pouting like a _child_," Kylie said as Sherlock glared at her.

"I am not acting like a child!"

"Yeah you are love," Kylie said kissing his temple before walking towards the bedroom to change.

Sherlock screwed up his face in confusion as John glared at her retreating form.

"I still need you to go to the fitting!" John argued.

"Why do I need to?" Sherlock replied.

"Oh both of you shut up," Kylie said as she walked out in yoga pants and a tank top, "Sherlock, get dressed, go to the fitting. John stop whining like a fourteen year old girl, seriously, you are worse than Mary."

Both men just looked at her, "I'm off to go to yoga with Mary," Kylie told them before she kissed Sherlock's cheek and walked out the door.

Sherlock just looked at John before getting up and walking into the room as John sat down and kept quiet, lost in his own thoughts as Sherlock came out of his room fully dressed before they both suddenly froze.

"My God…" John said as he gaped at Sherlock.

"Why did I just get dressed?" he asked John.

"She owns us," John said gaping, "We really are whipped."

**^$*&$#&**

"Your date with Witham is tonight isn't it?" Mary asked as they bent down into the pose the instructor was currently in.

Kylie groaned, the three days since they had made Witham throw up in their flat. It was Wednesday and Kylie had been trying to forget that they had that 'date' tonight.

"Well, I think you should be excited," Mary whispered as they sat in the back of yoga, supposed to be breathing as the instructor glared at them, "Sherlock's never really taken you on a date before."

"Okay first of all, this so does not count as a date. We are going with our therapist… and second of all, I hate dates anyway. Id rather run around London and catch bad guys, then come home and have chinese."

Mary laughed, "You are a seriously messed up couple. No wonder Witham is fascinated with you two."

Kylie rolled her eyes at Mary, who laughed once more.

"Well, its just a dinner," Mary told her.

"Yeah and then I have to go to dinner with his mum next week…" Kylie muttered as Mary laughed once more.

The instructor banged the gong in the background to quiet them, glaring the entire time as Mary and Kylie laughed before switching to a different pose once more.

**%^^#$#& **

"Why did we take that file?" Kylie whined to Sherlock as she curled her hair in the bathroom mirror.

"We could just not go," Sherlock suggested as he walked in and watched her curl her hair with an odd fascination.

"We have to," Kylie told him, "We had a deal. If we start going back on ours, then we can never make a deal with him again."

"That profile wasn't even helpful!" Sherlock complained, "All that we now know is that he is anal and obsessive compulsive."

"I agree," Kylie told him as she turned off the iron and sprayed her hair lightly with hairspray, "It's a crap profile and trust me, he's going to hear about it. I mean how is that supposed to help us look for him? Its not like there are obsessive compulsive anonymous meetings."

Sherlock shook his head in anger as Kylie smoothed her dress and turned to him.

"We just have to get through dinner," She said before she kissed him briefly.

His arms snaked around her as his head began light and his thoughts became fuzzy from the kiss.

Kylie smirked against his lips as she pressed her body into his, loving the way his strong arms felt around her.

A knock at the door and the sound of the door opening brought them out of their kiss.

"Hello?" They heard Witham call from the living room.

Kylie groaned in annoyance, here began the longest night of her life…. well, until she would meet Sherlock's mother.

"Here we go," Kylie said straightening his shirt collar and dragging a begrudged Sherlock out of the bathroom with her.

Witham stood there with the curly haired woman Kylie had accidentally walked in on a few weeks prior.

"There they are!" Witham exclaimed, obviously excited about this whole thing.

"Hi, I'm Jenny," the girl said bursting forward with eagerness as she shook Sherlock's hand and then Kylie's, "You must be Sherlock, and Kylie? Right? Of course I remember you. Glad to hear you are doing better. Dreadful, absolutely dreadful I hear you went through. Oh, due to the news of course, I mean JJ would never tell me anything. That's 'confidential'" she told them at hyperspeed.

Sherlock looked at the woman as if she had walked out of a nightmare. As soon as she had started speaking, they both began cringing at the sound of her extremely high-pitched squeaky voice that seemed to be accented when she spoke extremely fast with excitement.

"Jonny?" Kylie asked, that being one of the only things that she picked out of that speech.

"I'm just so excited!" Jenny squealed causing Sherlock and Kylie to move to cover their ears, "Tonight is going to be so fun! I am so excited to meet you two! Jonny says you are both geniuses or what not and we are going to show you how to go on a REAL date!"

They both just looked at her and then at Witham who was smiling broadly at her. These both had to be the most annoying two people they had ever met in their entire lives…and they had to spend the night with them.

"Lets just get dinner over with," Sherlock said grabbing his coat and Kylie's, handing it to her.

"Dinner?" Jenny asked laughing, "Oh don't be absurd! That's so old fashioned! We are doing an interactive date!"

Sherlock and Kylie froze as they were putting on their jackets.

"What?" Kylie asked.

"Surely you didn't think I wouldn't want to observe the two of you in just a formal setting?" Witham asked as he put an arm around Jenny's waist.

"Shall we then JJ pumpkin?" Jenny asked practically swooning.

"Lets go Jenny-bear." Witham said as he pulled Jenny out of the house with him.

"JJ pumpkin?" Sherlock said in disgust.

"Jenny bear?" Kylie asked equally as horrified and disgusted.

Kylie and Sherlock gaped in a horrified fashion…this was going to be terrible.

**%^#$#* **

"And then I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the crusts cut off…" Jenny kept going on and on.

"Is she seriously going through what she had to eat all day?" Kylie asked Sherlock in a low whisper as she held his hand in the cab.

Sherlock was just glaring at her fully annoyed. He couldn't take much more of this. The only reason why he hadn't thrown the annoying broad out of the cab yet or deduced her to death is because Kylie kept asking him not to, even though he knew she was about to do the same.

"And then I had an ice-cream Sunday," Jenny went on grinning and touching Witham's nose, "I know how much you like those!" she said rubbing her nose against his, "And an eskimo kiss to go with it!"

They began giggling like idiots.

Sherlock and Kylie were staring at them as if they were from another planet.

"I don't think we have the right to complain about John and Mary anymore," Kylie said as she watched them.

"I didn't think there was anything as lame as John's emails," Sherlock said in a horrified tone.

"You have full permission to shoot me if I ever attempt something like that," Kylie whispered as the cab slowed to a stop.

"I would," Sherlock told her as he hopped out of the cab before it came to a full stop, helping Kylie out as well.

Sherlock grabbed her hand as they walked to the sidewalk and took in where they were.

"An art museum?" Kylie asked, bewildered on why they were here.

Sherlock shrugged; maybe this wasn't going to be as bad as being locked at a table with the two of them.

"I am SO EXCITED!" Jenny said as she walked up next to them and hooked arms with Kylie.

"For an art museum?" Kylie asked.

Jenny just giggled, causing both Kylie and Sherlock's eardrums to almost burst.

"Oh course not! I'm excited for the surprise activity after!" Jenny said as she dragged Kylie who clung to Sherlock for dear life as they entered the museum.

**^&#%^% &**

"We need to escape before the surprise," Kylie whispered to Sherlock as they stood together admiring a Monet while Jenny and Witham were down a few painting over.

"Agreed," Sherlock said as they looked around for a way to escape.

"If we can get out of a creepy as hotel run by a psychopath who has killed hundreds of people we can get away from this dipshit," Kylie muttered as Witham came over to them.

"Enjoying the impressionism I see," Witham noted, "That's an interesting choice by the two of you. Exactly what I would expect."

They both just looked at him, "You are psycho analyzing the painting we choose to look at?"

Witham smiled, "Art tells a lot about someone. In fact one of the greatest psychologists of our time Edward Holmes found that…" Witham began to ramble on about the study while Kylie felt Sherlock tense greatly next to her.

She looked at him. He looked extremely uncomfortable in his own skin. Had he said Edward Holmes? Was it…? No…. Though that would explain a lot.

Kylie found his hand and interlaced her fingers with his, giving it a squeeze as she tried to make it look as if she was paying attention to Witham's ramblings. She felt Sherlock scoot closer to her as he began to relax ever so slightly, clearly relieved that Witham had not made the same connection that he figured Kylie had.

"The fact that you two have been looking at impressionism is clearly revealing that you both rely on science for answers rarely wanting to think outside of the box. You both hate Cubism and therefore avoid the Picassos like the plague because they are unrealistic to you," Witham informed them.

Kylie and Sherlock just looked at him for a moment, "That's complete bull," Kylie said laughing, "Who's my favorite painter?"

"Picasso," Sherlock said simply, "That theory is complete crap."

They both walked away as they left Witham stuttering for words.

"WAIT!" Jenny yelled as she suddenly appeared in front of them, "The date isn't over yet! We still have the painting class to do!"

"Painting class?" Kylie asked as Sherlock froze.

"Yes, we are going to paint our feelings together as a couple," Jenny squealed clapping excitedly, "Isn't that adorable!"

"Oh dear Lord," Sherlock muttered as Jenny ran off.

Just when they thought this couldn't have gotten any worse.

**^#%%&#$%**

"You couldn't have held your tongue?" Kylie whispered harshly as they were sitting behind an easel while Witham and Jenny were giggling like children.

"That guard was obviously having an affair with him," Sherlock said simply.

"That didn't mean you had to point it out in front of a whole crowd when we were almost out of this!" Kylie reprimanded him, "Otherwise Witham wouldn't have found us and we wouldn't be forced to sit here with armed guards at the door painting out feelings."

Sherlock was silent. This just plain sucked.

Kylie sighed, "I know you've been holding it in as not to take it out of Witham and Jenny like I asked. I appreciate that," She told him as she grabbed his hand while an instructor walked up to the front of the class.

The man was elderly, so elderly that Kylie was pretty sure he was about to keel over and die at any second.

"I am Dr. Hayworth," he said "Welcome to painting with feelings."

"I think I'm going to hurl," Kylie whispered to Sherlock.

"I am a Doctor of psychology and I believe most of you have been reprimanded to this between psychotherapy and anger management…"

"I'm going to kill Witham," Kylie growled.

"And some are jus there for a get away," he said smiling at an overenthusiastic Jenny. "Either way, I assure you that art can help you express feelings that you need to."

"Well, with that being said," Dr. Hayworth said clapping his hands together with a smile, "Lets begin by painting something, anything that you feel at the moment. You will not be judged on what you paint, as long as it is what you are feeling."

Jenny eagerly picked up the pain brush and began painting with Witham on their canvas while Kylie and Sherlock just sat there.

"I think you need to pick up your brush," Dr. Hayworth said as he walked over to them with a smile.

Sherlock just stared at him before Kylie picked up the brush. Witham watched the couple interact as Kylie whispered something to him and he smiled, slightly very slightly, and picked up his brush as well.

Their interactions were fascinating. Both had been through so much in their lives and yet, they fit together perfectly, when they shouldn't at all.

They began painting while Witham analyzed them. This went on for a while until Dr. Hayworth told them to put their brushes down. Witham had been shocked that they had painted the entire time. He had expected a lot more whining and fighting form the both of them. Maybe they really were cooperating and giving into therapy. This could make writing his article a lot easier. They were a fascinating topic that psychologists would refer to for a long time on the topic if interpersonal relationships.

"Now, we are going to go around and share with the rest of the group what we have all painted," Dr. Hayworth said as Jenny's hand shot into the air, "I believe we have a volunteer!"

"Yes, hi!" Jenny squealed excitedly causing the others in the class to look at her as if she had lost her mind. Good…it wasn't just Kylie and Sherlock who couldn't stand her.

"This is what Jason and I painted," She said as she showed a picture of unicorns and bunnies frolicking about in a forest of gummibears and gingerbread.

"Oh dear God," Sherlock groaned, as Kylie had to cover her mouth to prevent a giggle from escaping. She saw Sherlock take a breath as he got ready to saw something before she slapped her other hand over his mouth, preventing the deduction from coming out that she knew had been cooped up all night.

"We are just so happy and so in love!" jenny smiled as Witham looked up at her.

Kylie laughed, "Obviously, he doesn't feel the same way…."

"Very good," Dr. Hayworth said smiling as he glanced at Kylie and Sherlock.

"Anyone else?"

A timid woman in the third row stood up, "I'm Claire, and this is what I painted." She held up a picture of a blue duck, "I painted a blue duck because nothing makes me happier than ducks in the rain. I haven't been the happiest person as of late, so when I get sad I think of blue ducks in the rain."

Dr. Hayworth smiled as he saw Sherlock whisper something to Kylie and her hit him slightly before smirking, "You just keep thinking that Claire. How about you two?" he said pointedly to Kylie and Sherlock who were obviously taking this as a joke.

"Oh we'd _love to_," Sherlock said with his Jonathan Wiley smile.

Witham smiled; maybe they really were enjoying themselves.

"I'm Kylie and this is Sherlock," Kylie said standing and smiling, "And this is what we painted."

**A MASSIVE thanks to everyone who reviewed! Seriously, I LOVE you guys! I never thought that this story would take off like this!  
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Witham's face dropped as she turned the painting around. It was an enormous pumpkin smashed to bits, red covering the page in a very violent way as stick figures all around it being tortured. It was an obvious reference to Dante's circles of hell as each ring around the painting had a different torture scene the pumpkin being in the middle.

"We call it, 'JJ pumpkin," Kylie said.

Jenny clapped, "Its very expressive!" she commented as Witham's face dropped. It was an expression of what they would apparently like to do to him at the moment, "I can obviously tell that you two don't like pumpkins."

Kylie covered a snort with a cough. This woman was completely missing the fact that they were poking fun at her and Witham.

"That is quite…. expressive…" Dr. Hayworth said as he looked at the smiling couple, "Is that a reference to Dante I see in there?"

"Pumpkins," Kylie told him, "Scare us. They seem almost human to us, that's why we called this one JJ," she said pointing to the smashed pumpkin in the middle.

"Pumpkins put you through hell?" Dr. Hayworth asked.

"Well more like annoy us into the fourth circle of hell," Sherlock said with a massively fake smile on his face.

Witham groaned, they had not gotten any better. In fact they had gotten worse….so much worse… forcing them to come on this had been apparently a terrible idea.

He needed better insight, just how he was going to get that. He had no clue. This pair were really quite impossible.

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	80. Chapter 80

**A Huge thanks to all of my amazing reviewers!**

**Thanks to Djbirdywantstofly, Crimisontigerlily, Elleari, holmesiswheretheheartis, Chelgallifreya221B613, DianaleeHolmes, Gwilwillith, RhythmicSound, bored411, and the girlwhoimagined for their reviews!  
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**Sorry the format was so off last chapter! I don't know what happened… I apologize!**

**Anyhow, enjoy!**

Kylie picked up her pace as she ran her daily loop, though it had become a lot less daily with Sherlock back in her life. She had a smile on her face. Her legs burned as the smoky air hit her face.

_Running in this smog is SO not good for me_.

She couldn't help but reflect on a similar run that she had taken when she had first moved to London. The same run where she had begun to have feelings for the dark haired man. The same one in which she had tried to convince herself that it was nothing, nothing between her and the man that she now loved more than life itself.

She looked around at the city as she ran through the streets. This really was a fabulous place. She couldn't believe that she hated it here when she first came here.

What if she had moved to San Diego right away with Charlie? Well technically she ran away on the first flight out of the country after she had escaped from Thomas, and hidden away in a hotel for two weeks before even looking for a job. She had stayed in London for some reason, and she was damn glad that she did. If she hadn't run away from her crazy ex, she would have never met Sherlock. She would have never met a lot of people that she now knew as her best friends, but Sherlock was the only one who mattered the most in her life.

Kylie rounded the corner and took out her keys and took off her iPod as she walked up to the flat. Kylie walked in and found Sherlock at the kitchen table working on something covered in blood. She smiled at him as she got a glass of water, drinking it quickly and filling it with another.

"Good run?" Sherlock asked, not looking up from his microscope.

"My typical ten mile loop," Kylie said as she sat down across from him as she stripped off her running jacket, "She began to catch her breath as she picked up a bloody bit from the petri dish that Sherlock had set aside, "What are you working on?"

"Identifying what tissues look like after a bomb blast," Sherlock muttered as he looked in his microscope.

Kylie smiled at him as she looked closer at the petri dish, are you trying to go based off the blast site and identify them by their tissue afterwards?" she asked.

Sherlock glanced up at her and nodded.

Kylie looked down at the small bit of bone and tissue and smiled, "This is a bit of heel."

Sherlock stopped looking at the tissue under the microscope and looked at her, "How did you figure that?"

"Easy," Kylie said shrugging, "The bit of bone. The thickness of cortical to the trabecular bone is congruent to that of the calcaneus, plus the bit of fat is about the blown up equivalent of the fat pad of heel."

Sherlock just looked at her. He had been trying to figure that one out for about an hour now based on purely the muscular tissue.

"You were doing it based solely on the muscular tissue weren't you?"

"There are ways to identify with bone, I needed to find a way to do it with soft tissue," Sherlock replied.

"Soft tissue varies dramatically from person to person," Kylie countered.

"Yes, but if you do it based on muscle thickness and nerve count…." Sherlock began before Kylie began nodding.

"You can theoretically determine where the soft tissue came from," she said smiling as she caught on to what he was doing, "Valid, but why not take the easy way? Bone is much more sustainable and harder to destroy and manipulate unlike soft tissue which would you rely on in this blast?"

Sherlock just looked at her, "It's a valid process."

Kylie smiled and stood up, rounding the table, "I never said that it wasn't," she said kissing his temple.

"I'm going to have a shower," she said as she walked towards the bathroom, feeling the wonderful shaky feeling returning form her run. Her legs were exhausted, meaning her goal had been accomplished. She stopped before she walked in and smiled to herself before turning and yelling back at her boyfriend, "If you get bored of tissue, come and join me."

Sherlock looked up from his microscope.

_Why on earth would he get bored of this?  
_

**%^#$ * **

Kylie walked out of the bedroom after getting dress, her hair in damp waves as she walked out to find Sherlock messing with the fingers in the microwave, having given up on the tissue samples.

She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his body, running her hands up his torso to his chest. She laid a soft kiss in the crook of his neck as she noted that he hadn't stiffened at all. He was completely comfortable with her.

"You know," she said leaving another kiss next to the one she had already left, feeling his pulse quicken under her lips, "I love you," another kiss, faster pulse, "but you still do not understand when I am coming onto you," she said as she smiled, kissing his neck once more.

She heard Sherlock begin to groan as she playfully nipped a sensitive spot on his neck before he covered it up with a cough.

"Come on?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm as her hands began trailing up and down his chest as her body pressed into his.

"Yes, a come on," She said as she kissed his earlobe, "Like what I am doing now," she breathed into his ear.

Something in Sherlock snapped, most likely his self control as he quickly turned around and pulled Kylie against the sink, pinning her there.

Kylie smiled at him, "Well hello Mr. Holmes."

"Shut up," Sherlock said before his lips connected with hers. Kylie giggled as the kiss began before it deepened, causing her to slide her hands up his chest and tangle them in the hair at the nape of his neck, tugging lightly.

Sherlock made a noise deep in his throat causing Kylie's insides to stir in the most delicious way.

His hands found their way underneath her father's old sweatshirt and finding their destination of the skin on her low back and stomach before sliding up her sides.

Kylie broke the kiss and made to go back to his earlobe before one of his hands coming out of her sweatshirt to tangle in her hair and hold her head in place before his lips went to her neck.

Kylie gasped, the domineering side of him taking her by surprise as his lips traveled down her neck to her collarbone exposed by the tear in the neck of the sweatshirt.

He gently pulled her head back further to expose her neck more.

"_Kales, you'll enjoy this," Thomas said as he yanked her hair, hard as she was tied to the bed._

"Stop," Kylie said as she put her hands on Sherlock's chest, pushing him back lightly.

Sherlock dropped his hands immediately and looked at her, slightly confused.

She wouldn't look him in the eye, but was looking down at his chest as she clutched the lapels of his blazer.

He could feel her shaking slightly as he ran a hand through her hair, cursing himself for pushing her. He could tell from her wide eyes and shaking, it was most likely another flash back…one that he had caused.

"I'm sorry," Kylie said quietly.

"I shouldn't have done that," Sherlock said pulling her tightly into his arms, the words coming out of his mouth sounding foreign to him. He didn't think he had ever said those words before.

"I want this," Kylie said into his neck, "Why cant I do this all of the time? Why does it only come sometimes? I want him out of my head, out of my memory."

"I know," he said into her hair.

Kylie pushed back and looked at him, "I'm sorry. I love it when you do stuff like that, it's just. Thomas took those a little far when he…"

Sherlock just looked at her, she had lost him.

"When you….take control of the…situation…" Kylie said allowing him to think it out for a moment. This had to be one of the brightest men in the world, yet when it came to sexual innuendos and flirting, he was daft, "I love it…I absolutely do, but until my flash backs go away completely… I just need to adapt."

Sherlock just kept staring at her and kept running a hand through her hair out of comfort.

"Just give me time, and I want you to do all that too me..and more," she commented with a smile, "I'll get there. I love you."

Sherlock brushed his lips against hers lightly before Kylie wound her arms around his neck, pulling him tightly to her.

He broke the kiss and looked at her.

"I believe we were starting something," she said smiling at him.

"Kylie…" he began. She had just had a flash back and now she wanted to try again?

"Look, I want this," Kylie told him putting a hand on his face, "As long as you are patient with me, I'm okay." She looked at him as she brushed his hair to the side, "I'm more than okay when I'm with you."

His looked at her. Her pupils were dilated, pulse quickened, breathing shallowed and was faster.

His lips met hers once more as they made their way to their bedroom where they lost themselves in the marvelous wealth of emotion that they had between them.

** #^%*&**

Lestrade looked at the file in front of him and sighed. Another one, a bloody nother one.

He couldn't believe it.

"Just got the call," Charlie said entering his office and plopping down in the seat across from him, "The Zodiac killer is back."

"The first body came across our desk…" Lestrade began running a hand over his face.

"Right before Thomas escaped," Charlie finished running a hand through his hair, "yeah I know."

Lestrade sighed, "Sherlock gave up the case so he could hunt down the bastard."

Charlie just looked at his friend and partner, "You think he's going to beat himself up?"

Lestrade sighed, "I don't know about that, but we're going to need both him and Kylie on this one."

Charlie pulled out his phone and rang her familiar number.

**#%^ ( **

Kylie's phone rang as it sat on the kitchen table where she had abandoned it earlier.

"I'm coming I'm coming," she said as she pulled on Sherlock's button up over her bra and panties, running a hand through her hair in attempt to make it look so much like sex hair.

She rolled her eyes at the caller ID as she picked up, "Charlie, I thought you were too busy shagging that whore Donovan to call?"

She heard Charlie chuckle on the other end of the line, as Sherlock came out pulling on his slacks, "Yeah well, you know, crimes to attend to. I called you like five times, where have you been?"

"I've been umm…" she began as she felt Sherlock wrap his arms around her from behind and kiss her hair. She smiled, this was so unlike him, but she loved it when he got cuddly, "Busy…" she finished.

"Good," Charlie said as he walked into the flat with Lestrade hanging up the phone as he took in the sight of his two friends, "Well, apparently you have been 'busy'" Charlie said with a shit-eating grin.

"Jesus, when are the two of you _not _shagging?" Lestrade asked smiling at the pair.

Sherlock let go of Kylie and turned bright red as she blushed profusely as well.

"Our flat," Sherlock muttered pointedly before dragging Kylie out of Charlie's eager eyes that were searching her body.

"Charlie you are one to talk," Kylie yelled at him from their bedroom where Sherlock threw clothes at her and she chucked his shirt back at him, "you are a freaking sex addict."

"I'm not a sex addict," Charlie yelled back at her as he plopped himself in an armchair, "I'm a pervert," he grinned as Lestrade laughed, "There's a difference."

"Not really," Kylie said as she remerged fully dressed as Sherlock was tucking in his shirt once more.

"We got another one," Lestrade told Sherlock seriously.

Sherlock looked at him quizzically.

"Zodiac killer," Charlie said morbidly.

Sherlock's face fell, he remembered the case.

"As in the 1960's killer in San Francisco and the semi-okay movie?" Kylie asked.

"No, but we just call him that," Charlie said as he stood up, "Come on, you will see when we get there."

Sherlock already had on his scarf and coat as he handed Kylie hers. She could see that sparkle in his eyes when a case caught his intrigue.

She put on her coat and grabbed her phone and keys and walked out the door behind Sherlock, Charlie, and Lestrade.

**^#&^*#  
**

They arrived at a parking lot that was taped off with police tape. Sherlock helped her out of the back of Lestrade's cruiser before they began walking towards the body.

"John?" Kylie asked as they ducked under the tape.

John turned around and smiled at them as they noticed Mary crouched down next to the body hidden behind her.

"Oh hey," John greeted as Sherlock gave him a strange look.

"How'd you get here?" Sherlock asked slightly offended that John had gotten here before he had.

"Mary got the call," John shrugged, "I figured you lot would forget to call me so I came."

"Aww, John," Kylie said hugging him, upsetting Sherlock even more, "We love you you know that!"

"What would Sherlock do without your broamance?" Mary joked as she stood up.

"Bromance?" both Sherlock and Jon asked.

Kylie and Mary smiled at them before the body caught Kylie's eye. She immediately remembered the case file that Sherlock had showed her.

On the ground lay a full skeleton. It looked aged as it was covered in what looked like religious symbols. Every inch of bone was covered in intricate carvings.

She took gloves from Mary and knelt down next to the body next to Sherlock.

"What do these symbols mean?" Kylie asked as she looked at the body, not recognizing any of the symbols.

"I never had a chance to decode them before Thomas escaped," Sherlock muttered shaking his head briefly as he looked at the body.

He then stood up and looked around wildly, "Something's not right," Sherlock muttered.

"What are you talking about?" Kylie asked as she stood up and looked around.

"It doesn't feel right," he said as he searched the rooftops and building surrounding them.

"You sound like my father," Kylie joked as she looked around also.

%^#&#(*

Sebastian Moran ducked back behind the curtain as he watched the Yard search over the body. The dark-haired man had come close to seeing him…. too close. He had a job to do, a job that would bring him much more power than he had already taken. That gang of people below him had come close to doing that once, he wasn't about to let that happen once more.

Not when he was so close….

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	81. Chapter 81

**A HUGE thanks to Bored411, X-poisonCherry-X, chelgallifreya221B613, optimistic livvy, rainbowassassin, gwilwillith, and DjBirdywantstofly for their reviews! **

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**Here's the next part! And be ready, there are about to be like 12 story lines at once all wove together, so bear with me for a little bit guys!**

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Kylie sighed as she looked at pictures of the symbols that had been carved into the body.

She, Sherlock, John, Charlie, and Lestrade were sitting in the London Library flipping through book after book trying to determine where the symbols came from.

Charlie groaned and tipped back in this chair, "I thought I was done with college."

"You went to university?" Lestrade asked with a smile.

"Burn…" Kylie said as she flipped through, stumped on a couple of symbols that had been etched on the skull.

Sherlock glared in annoyance at them, wanting the quite to concentrate.

"The only symbols we have found have been the signs of the Zodiac," John sighed running a hand over his face. They had been at this for hours and everyone's patience was leaving.

It was true; they had only identified a few of the symbols being those of the modern day zodiac, giving the killer his name. The rest they were not finding in any religious book or symbolism encyclopedia.

Sherlock looked up suddenly as it clicked for Kylie as well, "They were in the modern day zodiac."

"Culturally there are many differences, different symbols," Kylie said, her eyes sparkling with intrigue.

"Do either of you have any idea what they are going on about?" Lestrade asked John and Charlie as Sherlock and Kylie got up and began hunting for new books with eagerness.

"Not a bloody clue," John said shaking his head, "I'm just glad I'm not the only one who's lost. Its hell when you are third wheel to their brainiac talks."

"Try being partnered with her," Charlie muttered as he pulled out his cell phone and smiled at the text.

John and Lestrade glanced at each other, "Who are you texting?" Lestrade asked smiling.

"Hm, what?" Charlie said glancing up at them.

"Please dear God tell me its not Donovan," John said with disgust.

Lestrade let out a laugh causing the librarian to glare at them.

"She's hot!" Charlie argued.

"You know as your boss, I should disapprove, but as a man trapped in an on-again off-again marriage…" Lestrade began before Kylie plopped a stack of books on the table and looked at Charlie and Lestrade with disgust.

"Oh please don't tell me you are approving of Charlie's sexting?" She said as Sherlock dove into the books, ignoring the conversation.

"Sexting?" Lestrade asked, having absolutely no clue what that meant.

"Oh girl, you naughty," Charlie said as he read one of the text to get a reaction from Kylie.

She just looked at him pointedly, "You're a pig."

"Got it," Sherlock said turning the book as Kylie picked up the pictures and compared them.

"What are they?" John asked with intrigue.

"The Zodiac," Sherlock told him.

"Its still the Zodiac?" Lestrade asked confused.

"Of COURSE it's the zodiac!" Sherlock said in frustration that they were not following along.

"The modern day zodiac is based off of the Roman Zodiac and astrology. Its is, as you know based off of constellations in the sky. However, the stars can be seen from all over. Many other civilizations had constellations, many of them similar with different names and symbols."

Kylie extended the book towards them as Sherlock began flipping through others.

"You see," she pointed to the symbol of a circle with a cross through it, "The Mayans also had a system that included essentially twice as many symbols as the Romans had, breaking it down even further. You see this one?" she asked pointing to a square looking object with legs and two curved lines on top "See how it looks sort of like a bull? This is the Mayan symbol for Pax, one of the two divisions of what Romans consider the Taurus part of the zodiac."

"So some of these are Roman, some are Mayan?" Lestrade asked, "Its not a message?"

"Well, there also is the fact that if he is basing himself off of the Zodiac killer that terrorized Northern California in the late 60's and 70's, cryptic messages were this guys specialty. I don't think we can rule that out yet," Kylie said as Sherlock kept flipping through the book.

"Did you ever figure out cause of death?" Charlie asked as he looked at the pictures.

"No," Kylie said running a hand through her hair, "With all of the carvings, it is nearly impossible to find one. The bone is too badly damaged."

"Told you you need to look at soft tissue," Sherlock muttered to her.

Kylie just looked at him, "And do we have any soft tissue to deal with?"

Sherlock was silent as he pushed another book forward, full of what looked like Chinese symbols.

"The Chinese Zodiac," John said as he looked at them.

"But that doesn't follow the typical zodiac?" Charlie said frowning.

"It goes based on years rather than months," Kylie explained, "It is believed that they used Jupiter as a constant as its orbit around the earth took twelve years. The nomadic tribes then developed a calendar based on this using the animas that they used to hunt and gather."

"So all of these symbols represent one of the twelve Chinese Zodiacs, Mayan Zodiac, and the modern day zodiac," John said frowning as he looked at a picture.

"Yeah," Kylie said looking at him strangely.

"So what's this then?" he asked handing over the picture he was gazing at.

Sherlock and Kylie looked at it and frowned, neither of them recognized it.

On the left humerus, there was etched what looked like a cross connected to a whip. It could be a variety of things, but to Kylie, that's what it looked like. She thought she had seen it before somewhere but she had no clue where, or what it meant.

"That's not a zodiac symbol," Kylie muttered.

"No," Sherlock said as he gazed at it, "its not. It's a messaged."

"A puzzle," Kylie said nodding, "this bastard is like the zodiac killer after all."

**%^%^& #**

"AGH! What is it?" Sherlock yelled as he jumped out of the cab and slammed the door behind him.

Kylie sighed and gave a sympathetic look to the driver and apologized before leaping out after him.

"Sherlock, we'll figure it out, we always do," Kylie told him as he unlocked the door and walked into the flat and up the stairs.

Kylie rolled her eyes at his fit and followed him up.

Sherlock was stopped as Witham sat in one of the armchairs.

"Why are you here?" Sherlock spat at him as he threw off his jacket and immediately began to scower Google for the symbol.

Kylie let out a groan as she spotted a ticked looking Witham sitting in their armchair.

"I brought your painting from last night," Witham said, obviously not pleased with them.

"Oh thanks JJ pumpkin," Kylie said with a smile, causing Sherlock to smirk slightly, despite his bad mood.

"Don't call me that," Witham said darkly, "the behavior that you two demonstrated last night was inappropriate needless to say."

"Oh, are you sending us to the principle's office?" Kylie grinned at him.

"I'm serious," Witham said, "I am trying to observe the two of you and your two have turned this into a circus act."

"Then maybe you shouldn't treat us like lab rats," Kylie told him crossing her arms, "Don't force us to attend dates with your horrible girlfriend. I mean don't get me wrong, she's sweet and well intentioned, but DEAR GOD she is annoying."

"I don't care what you think of Jenny," Witham told her, "Its none of your business."

"Its none of your business how Sherlock and I run our relationship, which by the way is much less dysfunctional then letting a woman think you love her when you don't," Kylie said raising her eyebrow at him as Witham sifted uncomfortably.

"I do love her," Witham said unsure of himself.

"You really think we are that stupid?" Sherlock asked him.

"Sherlock," Kylie warned not really wanting to smash Witham to bits as Sherlock was dying to.

"You act like you cling to her because you want to prove your superiority over us. Since you cant do that mentally, you think that having an 'intrapersonal relationship' as you claim. You want to prove to us that you know what you were talking about, which you don't…the profile was idiotic and absurd by the way. When she looked at you last night, you froze and shifted uncomfortably, truth is, you cant stand her, and you just don't have anyone else to show up with," Sherlock finished only to see Kylie staring at him disapprovingly and Witham staring angrily at the ground.

"I want you two in my office tomorrow at noon," Witham said, "Or I will make sure that you both have mandated therapy for the rest of your lives."

He left, leaving Kylie and Sherlock looking at each other.

Kylie sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "This should make me happy that we just pissed him off this badly, but for some reason I feel like crap."

Sherlock just looked at her, he had just spoken the truth.

"I mean we just practically humiliated him and even though he is the worlds most annoying man, he is well intentioned."

"Kylie writing about us like an experiment," Sherlock countered.

"Its really no different than what you just deduced about him," Kylie said looking at him.

Sherlock frowned, she had a point, he guessed it really was no different…which upset him…greatly…

How on earth could she see good in that annoying bastard? But then again, Kylie saw good in everyone, even him.

"Maybe we should ease up on him," Kylie said as she played with a pen that was lying on the desk, "As close as that may come to killing us. I mean he did help me when I needed it."

Sherlock remained silent as he tried to comprehend how Kylie could want to ease up on him. Witham was an annoying bastard who stuck his nose in peoples' business where it didn't belong. He tried to open every word, find every underlying meaning, most that didn't exist. Then he looked at Kylie, he remembered how scared out her mind she had been with the flashbacks. How she had ran to Witham for help after pulling a gun on him. She really believed that Witham had helped her. He remembered her shaking, and how it had decreased slightly after talking with that annoying kid.

"We are already fighting wars with criminals," Kylie said as she grabbed his hand, "I just don't think that we need anymore."

Sherlock just stared at her. She truly had compassion for everyone around her. It was fascinating. He didn't know how she did it, how she tried to see good in everyone.

He nodded slowly as she squeezed his hand and got up walking over to sit in his lap and hold him tightly.

"Thank you," she whispered before pulling back and kissing him.

Kylie still didn't understand how even after being back together for nearly three months, how the world began to melt away every single time their lips touched.

She broke the kiss and pulled him close, just wanting to be in the comfort of his arms.

** #%$&^&*(**

"Kylie," Mary said trying her best not to freak out as she threw some pictures of flowers down in a fury, "I have five months until my wedding, just five, and everything is going wrong already!"

"Mary," Kylie said, "Just calm down what's the problem?"

John stood with Sherlock on the opposite end of the living room talking over the case as Kylie tried to calm Mary. John had called her over as Mary had almost taken his head off when he told her that all of the arrangements looked good.

"Kylie, these arrangements have to be perfect," Mary ranted.

"Why?" Kylie asked, "you are marrying John and that's all that matters Mary. Not what everyone else thinks of your wedding."

Mary just looked at her.

"Your sister came up this weekend and commented on everything didn't she?" Kylie asked with a smile.

Mary groaned and rolled her eyes, "She's a nightmare Ky!"

Kylie laughed; Mary and her sister had an odd relationship. Her sister was mainly out for herself and highly competitive and jealous of Mary. Her sister was a few years older and unmarried, causing her to delve through every aspect of Mary's upcoming wedding and criticize it to the max.

"Just ignore her," Kylie told her, "She's just…"

"A crazy bitch?" Mary asked taking a drink of her wine.

"I was going to say jealous," Kylie said smirking, "but either works."

"Sherlock?" they heard John say, "What are you doing?"

"Something's not right," he muttered as he looked around the flat.

Kylie felt it too, as if someone was watching them.

"Sherlock what are you talking…?" John began.

"No, I feel it too," Kylie said standing up peering out the window.

"Get back," Sherlock said, panic in his voice as he pulled her from the window just in time before a bullet came through the window. Sherlock pulled Kylie to the ground as five more came through the window, smashing the window completely.

The bullets stopped as Sherlock slowly released his grip on Kylie and stood up.

"Okay? Are you okay?" He asked John, who was covering Mary.

"Yeah, yeah we're okay," John said checking Mary over.

"What the hell was that? Mary asked trying her best not to let the fear take over.

"A sniper," Kylie said as she sat up and tried to look Sherlock over for wounds as he attempted to pace, "We didn't hear gunshots, so it was from over a mile away."

"The same sniper who took out Thomas," Sherlock said as he paced, escaping Kylie's grasp before walking over to her as if he remembered something.

Sherlock looked at her as she raised an eyebrow, "You alright?" he asked running a hand through her hair to get some of the glass out as his eyes looked over her for any form of harm.

"I'm fine," Kylie nodded touching his cheek where a piece of glass had embedded itself.

She brushed it off and ran a hand down his chest as she looked at him.

"You think Moran did this?" John asked as he had his arms around Mary.

"I know he did," Sherlock said turning back to John and pulling out of Kylie's embrace as if he remembered John was still in the room with him, "he's the one running Moriarty's operation now."

"We still don't know that," Kylie said, "And why on earth would he try to take us out?"

"Because it was Moriarty's mission to destroy me," Sherlock said quietly, "And now Moran wants to finish it."

**Review?**


	82. Chapter 82

**A huge thanks to everyone who reviewed! I cant thank you individually because I had to upload this chapter, but not post it way early due to the fact that I am working super early tomorrow! But just know that all of your reviews are greatly appreciated!  
**

**So, this chapter is RATED M!**

**And yeah…it turned out ….far different than I was expecting, but this always happens when I am PMSing (Sorry, far too much info) but its weird how this always happens!  
**

**Anyhow, enjoy!**

Kylie sat in the flat nervously watching Sherlock look through the photos of the Zodiac's first victim. He was comparing them to that of latest victim, looking for differences in the placement and symbols.

He felt Kylie's eyes on him from the opposite side of the table as she clutched her mug of tea.

"Its late," Sherlock said as he glanced up at her.

"Yeah," Kylie said quietly as she just looked at him, curling her knees under her as she sipped her tea, never taking her eyes off of him.

He looked at her weirdly, she was acting quite strange.

"You have work in the morning. Its two AM," Sherlock told her.

"I know," Kylie said as she pulled her limbs closer to her.

Sherlock furrowed his eyebrows at her. She was in a position similar to that of the fetal position, animals and people did that when they wanted comfort. When they felt as if they were hurting.

Why was she doing that? Thomas was gone?

He just stared at her and she stared back.

"Are….you alright?" Sherlock asked, not really knowing how to respond to her.

"No," she said quietly as her voice broke slightly.

"Why?" Sherlock asked.

"Because someone is trying to kill you," Kylie told him.

"A lot of people want me dead," Sherlock said simply.

Kylie looked down at her mug before she looked up at him. She looked frightened, like a scared child.

"That doesn't help Sherlock," she told him.

He just set down the photos and looked at her.

"This man already took away two of the most important people in my life," she said quietly, "I cant bear him killing you too." She just looked down as if she was afraid to say what she was about to say, "I really don't think that I could live if you were gone."

Sherlock just stared at her, that's all he could do. He was almost in shock at her words. Did he really mean that much to her? Was that what she was implying? He felt his heart swell and then crack slightly as he saw a tear fall down her face.

He felt himself get up. He wasn't in control of his body it was as if he were in a dream. He felt his knees hit the floor as he knelt next to her so that he was at eyelevel with her as she sat in the chair. She just looked at him, her eyes shining with tears, making them even bluer. Even with tears running down her face she was stunning. He pulled the mug of tea out of her hands and set it on the table before pulling her into his arms.

She let out a sob as she grabbed onto him tightly, as if if she let go, he would leave her forever. One of his hands went into her hair and the other rubbed her back as he sat back and pulled her to the ground and into his lap. She held him tightly to her as he kissed her hair.

A year ago, Sherlock would have never done something like this. But right now, he realized that he was okay with the fact that he was. This woman had turned his world upside down. Proved that _feeling_ had brought him more happiness and fulfillment in life than drugs or his cases. He wanted to roll his eyes at himself as he held her to him silently as her tears soaked into his shirt, but he found that her words, her body, her touch, her love meant so much more to him than his past self and his logic to make fun of.

He hadn't believed in love. He had believed that it could only hurt you, people could hurt if you opened yourself up; but she had disproved all of that. She was so good, so pure, so caring, that he couldn't help but open himself up to her. She made him crazy, made him crave human touch, her touch. It was so comforting. He found himself drawn to her like a magnet, he couldn't stay away. She made him feel whole. He had never realized that feeling before until that first time that he kissed her. She filled a void that he never realized that he had. He cared for her more than he had ever cared for anyone in his whole life, he…would do anything for her…

He paused in his thoughts, would he really do anything for her?

He looked down at her before laying yet another kiss in her hair.

Yes, he would, he would do anything for her.

He remembered John talking about this before. He had a similar experience with Mary.

"_Sherlock, I love her," John told him as he smiled like an idiot from the armchair, "I'd do anything for Mary."_

_Sherlock scoffed, at the word love. He had made a mistake giving into it once, and he would never do that again. And yet, John was going down the same idiotic path. _

"_I'm serious Sherlock. You could have the same thing with Kylie. You just have to forgive her," John told him, "She's broken over this, she wont forgive herself for what she did. She loves you. I know you are upset, but love Sherlock, as lame as you think it is… it will make you a new person. You wont even realize how good life really is until that moment where you know that you want that person by your side for the rest of your life. To give yourself to them completely and wholly."_

_Sherlock rolled his eyes as he restrung his violin, did John even know what he was saying? What a complete idiot he sounded like?_

"_I'm serious Sherlock," John said, "One day you'll realize that Kylie is the one person that you need in your life and everything will always be okay, as long as she is by your side."_

He had never really understood those words before until this moment. He had always just regarded them as one of John's pathetic rants that he usually emailed to his girlfriend, but now he realized, he felt the same way about the woman in his arms.

He had changed, he knew that. As much to the dismay of his logic and the way he had lived his entire life holed up, he had changed for the better. He felt as if she made him want to be a better man. He couldn't bare the thought of hurting her. She was so gentle, so tender, so caring, so full of life… despite everything that she had been through.

He didn't understand how she could love a wreck like him.

"I'm scared Sherlock," Kylie muttered against his neck.

"I know," he whispered back, "Don't be."

"How can I not? The man who killed my Mom and Sister is trying to kill the man I love."

He pulled back and looked at her.

"How?"

"What?" Kylie asked wiping her tears with one hand as the other was wrapped around his neck.

"How…." Sherlock began as he suddenly was at a loss of words, he never felt so vulnerable so exposed. He hated it, even though it was with Kylie. He knew she was safe, but if she saw all of him, she would run for the hills, and he couldn't say that he would blame her.

"How what?" she said her eyes searching his for an answer as she brushed a hand down his cheek.

"How…." He swallowed and closed his eyes. God, he felt so vulnerable, "how can you love me?"

He could literally see her heart break in her eyes as she grasped his face with both of her hands and forced him to look at her, "what are you talking about?"

"I just…" God, why were these words so hard to say? He wanted to run away and hide like he did when he was a child, "I don't know how you can love me."

She started crying again as she leaned forward and kissed his forehead before she looked at him again, "I love you because you are by far the most wonderful and fantastic man I have ever met. You make me a better person, and you make me feel whole."

Sherlock's eyes locked with hers. She felt the same way John had talked about, the same way he felt.

"I couldn't imagine my life without you and I never EVER want to spend a day apart from you," Kylie told him as she bent down to kiss his forehead again, pulling back and looking at him as she ran a hand through his dark curls.

Sherlock just shook his head as he rubbed his thumbs against the skin that was exposed by her t-shirt that had gone up slightly.

"If you knew everything…" he began but he couldn't finish.

She put a hand on his cheek and forced him to look at her, "Nothing about your past can make me run. I ran the first time because I was overloaded with information, because I had a flash to Thomas, but I love you for who you are. I know that you would never intentionally hurt me."

"I'm not a hero Kylie," Sherlock told her in a barely audible whisper. God he hated this. He could be squashed at any moment.

"Yes you are," She told him, "Sherlock you save me from going to an extremely dark place after what happened to me. After Thomas raped me the first time I was so broken with nowhere to go. If I hadn't moved in below you and John, I really don't know where I would be in my life right now. I was lonely, vulnerable and in a dark place. God know what I would have done if I had had those bodies show up in my flat and I didn't have you. You were there for me, you protected me."

"He raped you again," Sherlock said, unable to look her in the eye any longer.

"Yeah, he did. But you know what? For the 36 hours that I was awake and thought you were dead, I cried more than I ever have in my life. Yes, I was violated, but that pain was nowhere near the pain I felt from the void in my life where I needed you. I couldn't bear the thought of you being dead, of you jumping off that hospital rooftop." She stopped and swallowed at the painful memory.

"If you know why I didn't go completely crazy after that? After I was raped again and beaten within an inch of my life? It was because I had you. Just you holding me was what got me through that mess. Its what got me through this whole last ordeal with Thomas."

She ran a hand through his hair once more as she looked at him, "I know that I have run away a few times, but it was never because of you. I had things that I needed to deal with and I have demons as well, everyone does. I know you do, but I am in this Sherlock. I will not run."

"I don't want you to get hurt," he said in a small voice.

She laughed at him lightly through her tears, "Sherlock you have helped me heal in my life in so many ways. I don't know what I would have done to myself if you hadn't helped me."

She slowly got up and pulled off her jeans. He just looked at her quizzically before she crawled back into his lap facing him once more in her underwear. She swallowed and pulled down the band on her right side showing him the five lines of scars that lay hidden beneath the band of her underwear.

He touched them lightly, causing her to close her eyes briefly.

"I told you that Thomas did this to me the night he raped me," she said slowly, "That's not true, I did this to myself."

Sherlock looked at her as tears ran down her face, "I cut during those two weeks that I was in hell in a hotel room in South London, before you walked into my life. I know I seemed okay and happy when you first met me Sherlock, but I wasn't. I was in a living hell of emotion and cutting helped me deal with that. If you hadn't been in my life, I know that I never would have snapped out of it. I probably would be dead."

Sherlock just looked at her and dragged his fingers lightly over scars. He had never thought she had been in that low of a place in her life. She had been as low as him, as low as he had when he was relying on heroin and cocaine for comfort.

"I love you," she told him, "never EVER doubt that."

He just looked at her. He was lost for words, so caught up in emotion, in his feelings for this woman sitting in his lap. He felt water running down his face. He was crying. He didn't know why, he never cried.

She had his wrists in her hands as her fingers traced over the scars that lay on them from where Thomas had cut them after he had taken him prisoner. She kissed her way across his wrists. He swore that he didn't have feeling in those scars, but as her lips traces across them, electricity sparked from it.

She looked up at him with her red puffy eyes, her eyes bright blue, others would tell her she looked like a mess as she wiped the tears off his face, but he never thought that she could be more beautiful than she was at that moment.

He loved her.

He brought his hands to her face as wiped away her tears before kissing her, pouring out every emotional vulnerability he felt, pouring the way he felt about her into the kiss.

Kylie grabbed onto him once more, trying to get as close as possible to him as she moaned lightly into the kiss. The amount of feeling he was pouring out was overwhelming. Her hand tangled in his hair as he crushed her against his chest. She could taste their tears mixing as they kissed on the floor of their living room.

He broke the kiss and began laying kisses up her cheeks to her eyes and her forehead and then back down again before capturing her lips in his once more.

Kylie broke the kiss and got up out of his lap. Sherlock instantly missed her and hated the void her felt at the moment as she stood there in her panties and t-shirt.

"Come on," she said quietly as she held out her hand for him to take. He took it and got up, letting her lead him into the bathroom. She dropped his hand and turned on the tub, adjusting the temperature and allowed the tub to fill as she poured in some of that body wash she was so fond of. Sherlock inhaled, lavender and vanilla. It smelled like her.

She pulled off her t-shirt and turned to see him standing there awkwardly. She smiled at him before she began unbuttoning his shirt. She leaned up to kiss him gently as she did it, pushing his shirt off of his body as her lips moved against his tenderly.

Her hands traveled down his torso as his went to her waist. She broke the kiss and looked at him as she undid his belt, kissing her way across his shoulders as she did.

He took ahold of her t-shirt as they gently removed all barriers between the two of them, both emotionally and physically, letting them fall to the bathroom floor. Kylie pulled away from him before turning off the water and climbing into the tub, turning to see a very naked Sherlock standing there looking at her.

She felt her mouth go dry as she saw him. He was gorgeous. She smiled and put out a hand before he climbed into the warm water and sunk down into the bubbles across from her. Kylie picked up a washcloth and slowly moved towards him, settling in his lap facing him once more.

Sherlock watched her through the steam before she brought the washcloth under the water and slowly began to wash his body with the soapy washcloth. She rubbed soft circles on his chest and went all the way up to his neck, washing each arm and shoulder as she went. He couldn't take his eyes off her as she worked, smiling softly through her puffy red eyes and humming softly to herself.

His hands traveled up her back before he covered her hand with his, stopping her briefly before he took the washcloth from her and began washing her in the same fashion.

His hands dipped under the water to brush against the scars on her hip before he kissed her, pulling the drain on the tub as he did.

They kissed as they wrapped themselves in each other, waiting for the water to drain. Both were covered in suds and bubbles before Sherlock broke the kiss and reached up, turning on the shower.

Kylie laughed lightly as the water hit them like rain at the bottom of the tub. She clambered off of him as he got up, pulling her up as well. She found herself being pulled back to him, his lips finding hers once more as the water ran over them, washing away their suds, their barriers, their last clingings of questioning. It was in that shower that they were completely bare for the first time. Each vulnerable to the other as they found themselves tenderly making love under the steam of the shower.

**%^$ ^#&**

Kylie awoke the next morning feeling far too warm. She opened her eyes and found herself staring at the ceiling of their bedroom. She was on her back in their bed.

She looked down and couldn't help but smile to herself, that's why she was too warm.

Sherlock had managed to wrap both of his arms around her waist as he rested his head on her chest and was essentially woven around her like a vine. He was essentially lying on top of her as he slept though somehow most of his weight was on the bed.

She smiled even more at the small content smile that he had on his face as she brushed his hair out of his eyes before her hands rubbed his back softly as not to wake him. He looked like a small sleeping child, so peaceful, so at ease.

She trailed a hand through his hair once more as she watched him sleep.

She could do this all day. It was rare that she was able to do this and after all the emotion and vulnerability that had been put on the table is was a great time to do it once more.

She had never felt so close to this man in the emotional sense. That bath and shower had been by far the most exposing and intimate things they had ever done together. Sure, they had taken intimate and emotional showers before, but this was something different. The last of their walls had come down to each other. She wasn't sure how, but somehow, both of them had bared everything that they possibly had to give and surrendered it to the other. It was by far the greatest thing she believed she had ever done.

Her mind was blown by this man. This wonderful, brilliant, vulnerable, strong man. They had made love last night and neither had EVER experienced anything like that before. Kylie wasn't sure if it was just the shower or if it was the emotional connection that they had just strengthened from iron to the most unbreakable substance on earth.

Either way, last night made her love this man even more…which wasn't even possible. She loved him to infinity and back.

He began to stir slightly, tightening his grip on her as she laughed lightly. She tangled her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck as she nuzzled his hair.

He stirred even more and yawned as she placed a kiss on the top of his head.

"Morning sleepyhead," Kylie said grinning.

Sherlock groaned in response causing Kylie to laugh even more before he kissed her collarbone and lay back down.

Kylie wouldn't have complained at all as she was enjoying the closeness, but she was starving and beginning to sweat.

"Come on," she urged at him as she pressed her forehead against his head. When he didn't respond she rolled him off of her causing him to wake with a start and Kylie to chuckle as him as she pulled on her bra and his favorite purple shirt, rolling up the sleeves slightly, as she looked for her underwear.

Sherlock sat up and mussed with his hair before glancing at the clock and yawning.

"Come on, I have work in two hours. Lets have breakfast and then I'll put you back to bed," she said kissing him briefly as she moved towards the door to go to the bathroom to look for her panties.

Sherlock was pulling on his pants when she pushed the bedroom door open and felt strong arms around her waist as she found herself pushed up against the hall wall just outside of their bedroom.

Kylie squealed slightly in surprise as Sherlock's deep chuckle rang form behind her before she turned and saw him smiling at her. She couldn't help but grin as he kissed her and nuzzled her hair.

Cuddly and playful Sherlock, well this definitely went against his personality.

Kylie moved down to button his pants as she moved them towards the kitchen while he kissed her collarbone.

This was DEFINITELY a new side of him that had emerged last night, and she adored it.

"I need to make breakfast," she said as they reached the living room.

Sherlock's lips met hers as her back hit the kitchen wall, "It can wait," he whispered to her.

Kylie giggled once more as her arms went around his neck and someone cleared their throat.

Kylie groaned, seriously?

"We have GOT to change our locks," She said as she pushed Sherlock off of her glancing up to see a smiling Mycroft, "Cant you knock…"

Kylie froze as Sherlock stiffened. It wasn't just Mycroft in the room. No, there was an older woman, wrapped in a black shawl and grey cashmere overcoat who was seated in Sherlock's usual chair. The woman had extremely high cheek bones and familiar blue eyes as her greying hair was curled marvelously and pulled into an elegant bun as her perfectly manicured hands rested on the arms of the chair.

"Mother," Sherlock greeted curtly.

Kylie's stomach dropped. Sherlock's mother was sitting in their living room completely unexpected and glaring at her in distaste and the only thought that came to her mind was:

_I'm not wearing any underwear_

**Review?**


	83. Chapter 83

**Thanks so much for all of the AMAZING reviews!**

**Gwilwillith: I have to say I am extremely jealous of you right now. I would kill to be there sipping coffee…you have no idea…**

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_Oh dear God, I'm half naked and not wearing any underwear…_

_Oh God, I was literally about to jump her son. _

_How do I introduce myself? "Hi, I'm the woman who is violating your son. Can you leave for a bit, we just need to have our morning shag."_

Kylie stood there in shock and fright; she had no idea of what to do at all. Sherlock's mother was sitting there with most likely the best posture Kylie had ever seen, staring at her and her son with tight-lipped disapproval.

"Mother," Sherlock said curtly, "What are you doing here?"

Mrs. Holmes looked at her son before putting a forced smile on her face.

_So that's where Mycroft got it from…_

"Sherlock," Mrs. Holmes said as she got up and walked towards her son, "You sound disappointed to see me."

Her face seemed too show fake sadness but her voice was as if she was reading from a grocery list. She was indifferent as she walked towards him and tutted disapprovingly at his shirtless body before awkwardly leaning up to kiss his cheek. Sherlock was obviously awkward also, it was almost as if she were putting on a show for Kylie.

"More surprised mother," Sherlock told her as his mother pulled away.

She smiled at him, though the smile didn't quite reach her eyes before she turned to Kylie. Kylie felt her eyes inspecting her as she ran a hand through her hair nervously, hoping that it looked somewhat tame as she stood there in just her bra and Sherlock's purple shirt.

"You must be Kylie," She said stiffly as she looked at her.

"Uh, yeah," Kylie said as she shifted nervously, fighting every urge that she had to turn and run back into their bedroom, "Hi, Kylie Gibbs," she said offering out her hand.

Mrs. Holmes just looked down at her hand as Sherlock fought the urge to roll his eyes. Instead of taking it, Mrs. Holmes just smiled, "Oh," She said in a not-quite-so-pleasantly-surprised voice, "You're American?"

Kylie dropped her hand as Mrs. Holmes was obviously not going to take it, "Yep, born and raised!" she said nervously as she tugged Sherlock's shirt down lower as not to expose anymore of herself.

Mrs. Homes just looked at her intently, "You are quite beautiful I have to say," she said with a fake smile once more, "Despite the fact that I can see your bra and it looks as if you haven't brushed your hair in days."

Kylie blushed and looked down; the purple shirt was extremely low cut as she had missed the top few buttons, exposing the top of her bra.

"You just caught us at a …ah…. bad time," Kylie tried to cover up, completely humiliated. This was NOT how she wanted to meet his mom.

"I'm sure I did," she said with that fake smile plastered on her face. Kylie shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.

Sherlock definitely took after his mother in the looks department, but Mycroft acted much more like her with one exception; this woman was ten times more intimidating than Mycroft.

"Tell me Sherlock, do you always make a habit of walking around in such little clothing?" she asked as she walked back over to the armchair, "Mycroft tells me you showed up at Buckingham palace of all places naked. Something inspired from Miss Gibbs here?"

Kylie gaped; did his mother just subtly call her a whore?

"I was wearing a sheet mother," Sherlock bit back lightly, "And I hadn't even met Kylie yet."

"Hmm," His mother muttered disapprovingly, "You are a reflection on family and should be respected in the highest regard," she reprimanded.

Sherlock fought with himself not to roll his eyes at his mother, "Yes mother," he said through gritted teeth.

"Now dear," she said putting back on her fake smile, "Dinner, this Friday?"

"I'm busy mother," Sherlock replied biting back the sharpness in his voice.

"Not too busy to visit your own mother," She said giving him a slight pout.

Kylie bit back a laugh; it was the exact same one that Sherlock gave her all the time.

"And Miss Gibbs you are more than welcome as well," She said as she and Mycroft rose with her as they walked through the door before she stopped and looked back at her, "Though I hope you will consider wearing a few more clothes that preferably don't belong to my son," she told Kylie before smiling and walking out the door.

Kylie turned bright red as Mycroft smiled at them and waved as he walked out, closing the door behind him.

Kylie just stood there gaping as Sherlock shifted awkwardly for a moment before looking at her gape at the door, her face bright red.

"So…. Breakfast?" he asked before walking into the kitchen.

Kylie just turned and stared at him as he began pulling eggs and bread out of the fridge that were sitting next to the head.

"Tea?" he asked as she just kept gaping.

"That was…. your Mom," Kylie said, obviously still in quite a shock.

"Uh, yes," he said as he filled the kettle.

"Your Mom, and brother, just walked in on us," Kylie said trying to take in the severity of the situation.

"Like you said, we need to change the locks," Sherlock said, not really seeing what the big deal was as he continued to mess around the kitchen, attempting to remember how to fry an egg as he had deleted it from his hardrive.

"Yeah, its annoying when John and Mary and all them walk in on us, but Jesus Sherlock your mom thinks I'm a whore!" Kylie said in despair as she put her head in her hands.

"Why does what she thinks matters?" Asked her as he failed to crack an egg correctly, causing the shell to collapse into the egg and onto the pan. He just looked at his hand. That wasn't how Kylie did it….was it?

"Sherlock, she's your mother, a part of your family," Kylie said as she walked over and leaned against the counter next him before realizing that his shirt had become too short at the angle she was sitting at and pulled it down covering herself before Sherlock even noticed. "And! I'm not even wearing underwear," She said closing her eyes in agony, "Oh God this is a disaster."

"How on earth do you crack these?" Sherlock asked looking at the egg and watching it explode in his hand as he attempted to crack it once more.

"I mean how on earth am I supposed to face her again, Oh Jesus, I didn't think it could go any worse than what happened at John and Mary's…"

"I mean seriously, are they like miniature explosives?" Sherlock said as he examined it closely.

"But apparently I was wrong. It could go much much worse," Kylie said with her head in her hands.

"How do Chickens sit on these without them going off? The surface area is greater but not the surface area on the egg and the ground."

"I mean Sherlock, I've never met a boyfriends parent's, let alone one that I was head over heels for…"

"This would be a fantastic experiment…"

"I just wanted to impress her, show her that her son is with someone who is good for him…"

"…test the dexterity of the shell…"

"…someone who is able to love him…"

"…the durability…"

"….cherish him…"

"….why does it smell like smoke?"

"…Hold him…"

"Fire…"

"I love you more than life itself, but I just need to show her that…and today didn't do that."

"No, Kylie fire…"

"I want to set myself on fire right now…"

"Well you're about to, move!" Sherlock said as he shoved her off the counter and threw the egg that was currently on fire into the sink with pan it had been lying in, running the sink as to put the fire out as smoke filled the kitchen.

He turned to see Kylie looking at him with a raised eyebrow and a smile playing on her lips.

"Not good?" he asked.

Kylie couldn't take it anymore. He looked so unlike himself as he stood there panting slightly in the kitchen with his hair mussed and only in his slacks. He looked slightly like a child as his eyes had that sparkle in them. Kylie burst out laughing at him.

"No, not good at all," she laughed as he turned back towards the sink to look at it.

He shrugged, "Apparently not," he said as a smile played on his lips, causing Kylie to laugh even harder.

He chuckled as she walked over to his arms and laughed into his neck as he held her.

Kylie couldn't help but smile; it was only this man who could make a bad situation so much better by causing chaos all around them.

She pulled her head out of his shoulder and looked at him, kissing him briefly.

"Now, I believe we were beginning something..." Kylie smirked at him before she began to drag him back towards the bedroom.

***#&( )(# **

"Where is she?" Susan asked.

"She's never late," Brad complained.

"Yeah, well I'm outta here," Trent complained getting up and slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"Trent sit down," Halley told him, "Dr. Gibbs will be here any moment. She just must have gotten caught up in a case."

"No I think she just over slept," Trent said as he began to walk towards the door, "And on an exam day, even better…"

The doors burst open and Kylie rushed in with her clothes askew as she pulled on one of her heels.

"I am SO sorry guys," she said apologizing as she made her way to the front of the class, "Id sit down Mr. Baker, you wont want to miss this test," Kylie told him as she pulled out a stack of copies and yawned.

"A case keep you up late Dr. Gibbs?" Halley asked with interest.

Kylie paused and reflected on her night, unable to hide the smile on her face, "Yeah something like that."

"Were you in a brutal fight and interrogation this morning?" Halley asked, her highly imaginative brain getting the better of her, "That's why you were late weren't you?" she asked glaring back at Trent who rolled his eyes.

Kylie stared for a moment…that pretty much described her morning, "Yeah pretty much."

"What happened?" Susan asked eagerly.

"Hush now," Kylie said smiling, "Clear your desks and be quiet, I'm passing out the exam."

**^&#&*(#**

Kylie sat on her laptop as she watched the class, watching Trent extremely carefully. Satisfied that his eyes were on his own work, she turned back to looking at the latest crime scene photos. She and Sherlock had had a conversation on their way over here about what had carved the marks in the bone. They weren't etched with a knife or scratched in… she didn't know what had damaged the bones that badly.

Sherlock was locked down stairs with the body while she was watching her class, even though he wined the whole way about how she was of much more use looking at the body with him than administering a test.

Kylie leaned into look at one of the marking when the doors suddenly banged open as none other than her boyfriend rolled in a gurney holding the body of their newest victim.

Kylie gaped at him as did the rest of the class.

"Sherlock!" Kylie whispered harshly as he wheeled the gurney towards her, "What in the HELL are you doing."

He just looked at her, "You couldn't look at the body while you administered your exam, so now you can do both."

"This is a distraction," Kylie said as she put her hand over her face in worry and frustration as her student's eyes curiously looked at the body.

"How," Sherlock asked screwing his face up in confusion, "they have the exam. Now, will you look at the head wound?"

"Head wound?" Kylie asked.

"Is this the case you are working on?" Trent asked.

"Exam Mr. Baker," Kylie said as Sherlock pointed to the skull.

"Yes, the head wound I found, and you missed," Sherlock said smugly.

"There was no….how in the hell did I miss that?" Kylie asked as she looked closer at it.

"Can he guest lecture?" someone asked.

"No," Sherlock said curtly catching the athletic kid taking a picture with his phone as Kylie was bent over.

Sherlock walked over to the kid and ripped the phone out of his hands and deleting the picture immediately before smashing it down on the desk in front of him, leaning on the desk.

"Sherlock, what in the hell?" Kylie asked as Sherlock moved closer to Trent's face making him cower slightly.

"I do believe that is quite rude," Sherlock said in a low voice as the boy tried to back away from him.

"I'm sorry," he gulped as Sherlock picked up his phone and began looking though his data finding risqué texts, mainly containing fantasies involving Kylie.

Sherlock just looked at Trent, who gulped nervously, knowing what he was reading. He wanted to rip that little bastard to shreds, even thinking about treating Kylie, his Kylie, in that way made him angry. She didn't deserved to be treated like that.

He leaned back down on the table and looked at him as he heard Kylie walk over and touch his back.

"What's the problem?" she asked looking at the phone, prying it out of Sherlock's grasp as he debated the pros and cons of ripping Trent's head off.

Kylie saw the texts and sighed, "it looks as if we need to have a talk Mr. Baker," Kylie said as he blushed and she gave the phone to Sherlock to pocket.

Kylie turned back to the class as she grabbed the gurney, "Exams now. I'll be right outside the door."

Kylie dragged the body out the door before walking back in and dragging a still glaring Sherlock out by the hand.

"What's that boy's name?" Sherlock growled.

Kylie rolled her eyes, "Look, I don't like the fact that he wrote those texts either, but he's a hormonal University student."

"Did you read those texts?" Sherlock gaped at her.

"Yes, and I've had those all told to me and worse, I went to drunk college parties and have been sexually harassed before," Kylie said shrugging it off.

"Worse?" Sherlock asked as his face fell, "Are you kidding me? Someone actually said these things to you?"

Kylie's eyes widened, he was pissed.

"Sherlock, its okay…"

"No, its not Kylie!" Sherlock argued, trying not to yell, "What do you think Thomas did?"

Kylie gave him a hard stare, "That kid, is an egotistical asshole who may have some potential in the field of anthropology. He is just hormone crazy and apparently has a crush on me. He's harmless, plus I humiliated him on the first day of class…he wont try anything."

"How did you humiliate him?" Sherlock asked, intrigued by her grin.

"I deduced that he had slept with a hooker just by the slight smudge of nail polish on his pants," Kylie said smiling.

Sherlock smiled, she really was bright.

"Good girl," he said as he pulled her in for hug.

Kylie pulled away after a moment and trailed a hand down his cheek, "I'll take care of it."

"I just want to make sure you are okay," Sherlock told her quietly.

She smiled before she lent up to kiss him, pulling him close to her.

"Excuse me Dr. Gibbs," Brent asked as had the door propped open and the whole class was staring at them, "I'm finished."

Both Sherlock and Kylie cleared their throats as they dropped each other's embrace and straightened their clothes as a blush took over both of their faces.

"Just put it up front," Kylie muttered as she walked back into class, closing the door behind her.

"You love him don't you?" Brent asked her quietly as he handed her his exam.

Kylie just looked at him.

"It shows," he told her with a small smile, "Not that's its any of my business Professor, but its obvious that the two of you have something that most couples wish they had."

"What's that Brent?" Kylie asked him quizzically.

He smiled at her, "Your soul mate."

**Review?**


	84. Chapter 84

**Really short, really lame chapter…. sorry guys!  
**

**Thanks to those of you who reviewed! I don't have time to send you thanks right now, but I am definitely sending you love!  
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**Next chapter will be longer…. and better….**

Kylie walked back into the morgue with her stack of exams in hand as she found Sherlock bent over Trent Baker's cell phone next to the two zodiac victims.

Kylie raised an eyebrow as he quickly hid the phone and began looking at the body once more.

"What are you doing?" Kylie asked smiling at him.

"Looking at the body," Sherlock said simply pulling out his magnifying glass and looking at the head wound he had pointed out to Kylie.

She set down the exams and walked over to him, "Not looking at the kids cell phone?" she asked as she peered at the head wound.

Sherlock just shifted awkwardly.

"Its fine Sherlock, I talked to him," Kylie said as she squinted at the head wound, "This isn't the cause of death by the way."

Sherlock just glared at her, "What do you mean it's not the cause of death?"

Kylie stood up and shrugged, "That its not the cause of death."

"What is the cause of death?" Sherlock asked.

"I don't know, that's the mystery," Kylie said standing up, "There's too much damage to the bone to even give me a hint of who these victims are. I mean they are both male, but other than that…"

Sherlock just stared at her, "What's his name?"

Kylie rolled her eyes, "The boy with the phone?" she asked, "Sherlock, stop fretting about it."

He frowned, "I'm not fretting."

"Yes, you are," Kylie said looking back down at the body.

Kylie frowned as she looked at the engravings once more and frowned, "I have no idea what on earth made these marking though."

"Acid," Sherlock said simply, "and I don't fret."

Kylie just smiled at him as he pouted, "You do all the time. Either over John or me. And how did you know that?"

"John?" Sherlock asked as he made a face, "And under the microscope, you can see the osteocytes were shrunken and burned," he said motioning to the screen he had pointed on the other body.

"You two always fret about each other. Its actually rather adorable," Kylie said as she walked over to the screen and looked at it, "And you definitely learn well."

"I am _not_ adorable," he said sharply.

"Yes, you are," Kylie said with a smile as she began to frown in confusion, "That's weird…"

"What?"

"This man was EXTREMELY immuno-compromised," Kylie said before moving over to the other body and looking at it, "Both of them were."

"Who would target immune-compromised men?" she asked him.

Sherlock shook his head and looked at the bodies. This case had just gotten more interesting.

**$%*&(**

"His mum walked in on the two of you?" Mary asked laughing.

"Mary it was awful," Kylie said as she relayed her day of hell to her best friend as they cook dinner together while John and Sherlock were in their living room doing... Something...

"I mean she kept making comments about how I was wearing is short and she could see my bra. It was as of she knew I hadn't been wearing underwear."

"YOU WEREN'T WEARING UNDERWEAR?" Mary said laughing hysterically now.

"It was by far the worst way to meet your boyfriends parents!" Kylie said groaning.

"I thought when John met my parents was bad enough because you and Sherlock decided to crash the party, but you not wearing underwear…you dirty, dirty girl," Mary said with a wicked smile.

Kylie slapped her arm lightly as they chopped the vegetables, "I had been looking for them, but Sherlock jumped me."

"HE jumped you?" Mary gaped, "Mr-I'm-always-serious-and-I-don't-know-what-playful-is?"

Kylie glared at her, "He is a human being you know?"

Mary smiled, "Sweetie, I know, but I just know that he tries to be removed from his feelings most of the time. Form what John tells me, he didn't have the happiest of childhoods."

"Yeah," Kylie said sadly as she cut the vegetables. She didn't know much about his childhood, but after meeting his mother and from the little that he did know, it definitely wasn't good.

"But he's being playful?" Mary asked trying to change the subject back.

"Yeah, its…" Kylie smiled, "Almost weird, but I love it. He's like a little kid sometimes with the way that his eyes light up…"

"He trusts you," Mary told her, "He's broken down his barriers to you."

Kylie smiled, "Yeah…well we kind of…"

Mary stopped chopping, "Kind of what…?"

Kylie couldn't help herself from smiling, "Uh…well… we discussed some things and I guess you could call it a moment…"

"A moment?" Mary asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Mary, I really don't know how to describe it. It was as if we were both just so exposed, so vulnerable, and now I feel closer than I ever have to him. It was as if all of the barriers are down," Kylie paused and looked at her, "This sounds so lame and Witham would have a field day with this, but I really felt as if I could see his soul."

Mary smiled at her, "I think if you heard yourself talking right now, you would want to slap yourself."

Kylie laughed and then sighed, "I know…seriously though."

"Weren't you in trouble with Witham?" Mary asked.

"Yeah we have to go see him first thing tomorrow," Kylie said, "Thank God he had something come up, otherwise my day would have gotten a lot worse."

Mary laughed as they continued to cook dinner.

%^&(*&

"Sherlock, seriously you are tracking this University student's phone?" John asked in a harsh whisper.

"Yes, you didn't read these texts," Sherlock growled as he pushed buttons on John's laptop.

"Well, if you'd let me, maybe I would be able to see…" John began before Sherlock's head snapped towards him.

"No," Sherlock said sharply before turning back to the laptop.

"Sherlock, I'm just trying to help."

Sherlock didn't respond.

"It was really that bad?" John asked, referring to the texts that lay on the phone next to the laptop.

Sherlock just glanced at him darkly.

"He's still just a stupid university student," John argued.

"John, shut up it is hard to concentrate with your constant blabbering," Sherlock snapped.

John sighed; he had to put himself in his place. If someone had a bunch of risqué texts about Mary, he would just about kill them. Sherlock was being protective of Kylie…. he could understand that.

"Okay, I get it," John told him, "I'm in."

"In what?" Kylie asked from behind them.

Sherlock snapped the computer closed and slyly grabbed the phone off the table and pocketed it, hoping Kylie hadn't noticed.

"Nothing," John said trying to cover for his friend, "We were just talking about the case."

Kylie just raised her eyebrows, "You just decided that you were in on the Zodiac case?"

"Yes, he had wedding errands to attend to," Sherlock said standing.

"Wedding errands," Kylie said skeptically.

"Yeah, I uh…have to go see the candle maker." John said instantly regretting the terrible lie he had just told.

Kylie just looked at him before hugging Sherlock.

"Alright," she said as she kissed Sherlock's cheek, "Dinners almost ready."

"Dinner?" Sherlock asked.

"Yes, that's why we came over here and why I have been in the kitchen with Mary the whole time," Kylie told him.

"Yes, but I didn't think that we were staying," Sherlock said, "We have a case."

"I'm hungry and you need to eat," Kylie said as she walked back into the kitchen.

Sherlock just turned and looked at John, "She knows I don't eat on cases."

"She just doesn't want you to die of starvation," John supplied, "Plus it gives us more time to find this kids address."

Sherlock fished in his pocket for the phone, before looking at John with wide-eyes.

That look could only mean one thing.

Oh…Kylie was good….

**I know it wasn't much and it was crap…but review?**


	85. Chapter 85

**So, shortest chapter ever! Sorry guys! I will get around to thanking you all individually once more; I've just been slammed with stuff recently. It will hopefully calm down by later tonight and I will be able to get another chapter up along with thanking you all!  
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**Thanks so much for the reviews; seriously, I love you all. You make my day better. **

**Enjoy!**

Sherlock just sat through the entire meal staring at Kylie.

Mary was trying hard not to laugh the entire time while John was looking at her with shock as well. Kylie just ate happily and ignored the stares she was getting from the men.

"You should really eat something Sherlock," Kylie told him as she took a bite of her zucchini, "Its really quite good."

Sherlock just kept staring.

"So, Mary did you get a hold…" Kylie began before Sherlock cut her off.

"Give it back," He said.

Kylie just looked at him with feigned innocence, "I'm sorry, I don't know what you are talking about."

Sherlock tightened his jaw as Kylie fought with herself not to smile, she was getting under his skin, "You know exactly what."

Kylie looked up as if in thought and shook her head after a moment, "Nope, sorry, what are you talking about."

Mary began laughing slightly.

"The PHONE Kylie," Sherlock said stiffly.

"Oh you mean Trent's phone?" Kylie asked.

Sherlock smiled, "Thank you for his name."

Kylie frowned….Damn it. Now she had to hide all of her class rosters and change the password on her login.

They just looked at each other, this was a new game, and both were fully annoyed, but having fun with a partner who had the capabilities to outwit them. It was a new competition.

John and Mary just sat there looking between the two of them stare at each other from across the table.

"Hamish," John blurted out causing everyone to stare at him, "In case the two of you were planning on making a baby right here on my dining room table."

Kylie just raised an eyebrow at him as Sherlock stared blankly, causing Mary to begin laughing once more.

Conversation continued until the meal was over and the women somehow managed to force John and Sherlock to do the dishes before Kylie and Sherlock began their walk back to Baker Street.

The cool night air hit Kylie's face as she stepped out of John and Mary's flat bidding them both a farewell as she walked over to an inpatient Sherlock.

Kylie stopped as she passed the window they had recently had repaired, the same one in which a bullet went through, almost killing her and the man who currently stood beside her.

She felt his hand on her low back as he urged her forward, "Come on," he said quietly.

They began to walk back towards Baker Street as Kylie felt herself be pulled into Sherlock's body once more as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

This was weird….he was NEVER this touchy-feely in public…

Kylie grabbed his wrist right before it went into her pocket stopping him in his tracks from taking the phone out of her pocket.

He huffed as she stepped out of his embrace and handed him his hand back, shoving her hands into her pockets, protecting the phone from him.

"Nice try," She smiled.

Sherlock glowered as he shoved his hands into his coat pocket as well, walking beside her.

They walked a couple more blocks in a comfortable silence.

"Why would the killer use acid?" Kylie asked out of the blue, "Knife carving is much easier to manage that detailing."

"The were both immune-compromised, the killer must have known that and maybe used acid so that he didn't have to touch them."

"As to not get the disease himself," Kylie said grinning, her eyes sparkling once more.

"Various diseases cause severe immune-comprimisation," Sherlock said.

"It's going to be pretty much impossible to narrow it down. We can try to test the remaining bone tissues, but I wouldn't have much hope. We are most likely going to have to find a suspect first before we can narrow down his victim pool, let alone identify the victims," Kylie said sadly.

Sherlock just looked at her, Kylie met his eye.

"I guess I'm just not used to not being able to ID the victims and notify their families. I just want to give them peace of mind," Kylie said shrugging sadly.

Sherlock just looked at her, it truly amazed him how much she cared for these victims. Most of the time a skeleton was just a skeleton to him, but she always saw the humanity in each of them; treated every body as if it belonged to a close friend.

She stepped closer to him and looped her arm through his, holding on to his bicep as she tried to keep warm from the cool night air.

Sherlock felt himself smile as warmth raged through him from her closeness. It was an act so simple, and he had no idea why it made him so…. happy….

They rounded the corner to Baker Street to see and hear Mrs. Hudson arguing with the man who owned the Speedy's sandwich shop.

"Another Domestic?" Kylie asked as they passed.

"She must have learned about the wife in Doncaster," Sherlock noted as they made their way up to their flat.

Sherlock paused at the door at the top of the stairs, they had locked it and yet now, it was slightly open and the lock was blown off of it.

"Someone's here," Kylie said in a whisper as Sherlock made sure she was behind him before slowly pushing the door open.

Kylie felt her breath catch in her throat as their flat had been ransacked. The couch was torn up as if someone had cut through it with a knife, papers scattered the floor, and their table was on its side as both laptops lay underneath it, the hardrive being removed. The armchairs had been slashed as well, curtains were on the floor. The kitchen had been ransacked and many of their dishes and glasses had been broken. Their flat was in ruins.

"Oh my God," Kylie said as she scooted closer to Sherlock, taking in the comfort that she got whenever she stood near him.

Kylie walked in and noticed that the pictures of the zodiac case were missing.

"Someone took everything on the Zodiac case, she said searching their floor for any of the files, "Someone doesn't want us on this case."

She stopped and picked up one of the pictures she kept of her father off the floor, pulling the picture out of the broken frame. She paused and looked up at the windows, in red spray paint was a symbol of what looked like a fist punching up into the air with a clover next to it. It was obviously a message of some sort. Kylie turned to see Sherlock, who had paled slightly as he looked at the symbol on his window.

"Sherlock?" she said as she immediately became concerned.

He didn't respond until walked over to him and touched his arm. He just looked at her.

"I know why all of the victims were immune-compromised," He said darkly to her before turning back and staring at the symbol that frightened him so much.

**Review?**


	86. Chapter 86

**Alright! Life somewhat calmed down!**

**Thanks to all of those who reviewed! Seriously, I love you guys!  
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**Thegirlwhoimagined: ….shifty eyes…..**

**Indymcw22: thanks so much! That really means a lot! As far as your questions go…I will say this. Some have sparked ideas, some I have been debating over for a while, and others…well, kind of, sort of not really…. That doesn't answer them at all. PM me and I'll talk to you about it more. I just don't want to give away too much on the main story. **

**DJbirdywantstofly: okay, WTF was up with the flying marypoppin's army? And where the hell was Sherlock Holmes reference! They did bloody mary poppins and that internet BS, but not ACD! *****mutters to self***** But the opening was super cool. I thought it was lame for the first five minutes and then it got super cool.**

**Thegirlwiththebrowneyes: You shall see.**

**Chelgallifreya221B613: Thanks my dear and sorry. I love cliff hangers FAR too much!**

**Bored411: I'm glad you liked the game, that was fun to write…more on that soon..**

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**Anyhow, you lot are all going to hate me…so sorry…**

"What do you mean you know how they are all immuno-comprimised?" Kylie asked as she looked at him.

Sherlock just stared at the graffiti on their window. She brought a hand up to his cheek and forced him to look at her, "What does that symbol mean Sherlock?" she asked.

"The Cahill fist," he said quietly, "The iron fist."

Kylie stared at him, hoping that what she was thinking he meant wasn't true, "Cahill, as in Ardan Cahill, the drug Lord you used to work for?"

"Yes," he said quietly, obviously afraid.

"Why was he in our flat?" Kylie asked nervously, trying to stay strong…she needed to be strong for him right now.

"Apparently something to do with the Zodiac case," Sherlock said quietly.

"What though?" Kylie asked, "You said you knew why they were immuno-compromised."

"levomisole," Sherlock said quietly.

"Levomisole?" Kylie frowned, "That's a dewormer for animals."

"Its also a favorite used by Cahill to cut high grade cocaine," Sherlock said quietly.

Kylie froze, how had this come full circle?

"You are telling me that the same guy that you escaped from, the same man you worked for, and the same man who is wanted around the globe, is behind this case?" She asked quietly trying to process the information.

"Yes," Sherlock said quietly. He was watching her nervously, he expected her to leave at any moment, run away from him, run away from the danger; and wouldn't blame her one bit.

"Alright," Kylie said after a moment, "You think that the victims were users or employees?"

Sherlock looked at her stunned.

"What?" Kylie asked.

"You are still here," Sherlock said quietly.

Kylie brought her hand back up to his cheek, "I told you I'm not leaving. I'm in this for the long haul."

Sherlock looked at her, she was being honest, she was staying. The warmth of relief washed over Sherlock. Sure, she had reassured him of that last night, but he still had doubts in the back of his mind.

…She really wasn't going anywhere…

…She was a constant in his life…..

Next thing he knew, he was leaning down and putting his lips on hers pulling her as close as he possibly could. Kylie's head began spin wildly as she moaned slightly into his mouth, not being able to help the overwhelming emotion he was pouring into the kiss as his body melted into hers.

Sherlock began pushing her backwards as she tripped over a broken living room chair and crashed to the ground, leaving a stunned Sherlock standing above her as she caught herself with her hands on the ground, unfortunately on a broken frame.

Sherlock looked at her, completely and utterly stunned, they had been so lost in each other that both had forgotten about the fact that their flat had been ransacked

Kylie winced as she stood up and looked at her now bleeding hand that was embedded with glass.

Sherlock's stunned response immediately left as he saw her hands bleeding. He took a step forward and grabbed her wrists gently before she could try and brush the glass off of her hands.

"Don't," he told her as he looked at it, "You'll make it worse."

Kylie just looked at him, "its fine," she told him as she tried to brush it off as he grabbed her wrists once more, giving her a hard stare.

"Stay here," Sherlock told her, "And don't rub them together," he told her as he carefully trudged through their flat.

Kylie sighed as she looked around, she wanted to cry. Why did this always happen? Every time that her and Sherlock were going well, a huge deal like this happens. Thomas committing murders, Irene, Thomas, Kylie's stupidity, Thomas, dead Thomas, now this plethora of disasters…. It wasn't fair, all that she wanted was to be happy with Sherlock. They both had baggage that they had to deal with, but why couldn't they have a normal relationship where the biggest problem with baggage that they had was ex girlfriends, not crack whore, drug lords, and military snipers.

There was nothing normal about a relationship with Sherlock Holmes.

He walked back into the room with a towel, tube of cream, bandages, and tweezers in hand before he walked into the kitchen searching the floor and cabinets for an unbroken piece of their flat.

Kylie watched him and couldn't help but smile slightly. There was nothing normal about a relationship with Sherlock Holmes, but she was loving every damn minute of it.

He found a bowl and filled it with warm water and then filled the kettle, turning it on.

He then walked back out with the bowl, towel, cream, and bandages and tweezers before leading Kylie gently over to the torn up sofa. Kylie looked at the sofa in despair as her hands bled. They had made love on that sofa, had so many moments on that sofa. It was theirs… and now it was gone…

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her down to the sofa gently as he set the bowl down. Kylie just looked at the flat in despair as he gently took one of her hands and gently began to pull out the glass shards as carefully as he could.

Kylie flinched and looked at him.

"Sorry," he muttered quietly as he dexterously removed the glass shards that were embedded in her hand from the broken frame.

Kylie just watched him, studied him as he did it. He was so focused as he carefully removed the glass. She had seen that expression on his face, whenever he was wrapped up in one of his experiments.

He once all the glass had been removed from her right hand he carefully set down the tweezers and picked up the bowl of warm water, dipping her hand in it carefully as Kylie winced in pain. The warm water burned as he gently cleaned her hand, pulling it out of the water and drying it before applying anti-biotic cream and bandages.

"Its fine," Kylie argued as she tried to pull her hand back, but he caught her wrist gently and continued his work.

"It will get infected," he told her quietly as he finished wrapping her hand before he picked up the tweezers again and moved onto the other hand.

Kylie knew he was right, she just didn't want to be fretted over.

She waited patiently until he was done as she looked around the flat.

"Did they trash the bathroom?" she asked quietly as he wrapped her other hand.

"Yes," he replied to her.

"The bedroom?"

"Yes," he said as he finished.

Kylie shook her head. She felt so violated. Some one had destroyed their home.

"Why target us?" Kylie asked, "There's a lot of other people working on this case."

Sherlock sat back and looked at her, "We are the only ones who can solve it."

Kylie laughed slightly as she looked around the flat and closed her eyes as Sherlock just looked at her.

"Okay, so are you sure that the immuno-compromisation was caused from the levomisole?" Kylie asked as they sat on the shredded couch.

"Positive," Sherlock told her quietly, "It's the only logical conclusion."

"So do you think that the victims were just users? Or Employees?"

"They had to be the cutters," Sherlock said, "That's the only way that they could have received that much of the levomisole to create that much of an immune-compromisation," Sherlock told her.

"What's a cutter?" Kylie asked.

"Cahill has about four or five guys who job is to prepare and cut the product before they package it."

Kylie sighed and nodded as she looked around the flat, "And now they are coming after you."

Sherlock was silent. He didn't know Cahill's plan or intentions, but he knew that Kylie was in danger.

"Oh God," Kylie said as a thought came to her mind, "That's why those shots were taken at John and Mary's?" She said with wide eyes and tears in her eyes.

Sherlock just looked at her. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and hold her close, breath in her scent that was always lavender and vanilla. But he couldn't let her get hurt. Cahill was dangerous…extremely dangerous. He had barely gotten out from under him alive. Sherlock knew from working under him for those five years, that Cahill destroyed those against him from the inside out. He went after family, friends, and loved ones before eventually killing you. That put Kylie in the line of fire.

She was probably right, the shooting had most likely been because of Cahill, but something told him that it wasn't…He couldn't be sure though, he had to keep her safe. She meant so much to him.

"You need to leave," he told her.

Kylie just looked at him in shock, "What?"

"Leave now," Sherlock said, avoiding her eyes as he stood up and disposed of the glass.

"I live here," Kylie said completely confused.

"And now I'm telling you not to," Sherlock said as he braced himself against the sink for he didn't have any strength to stand. All of his energy was being put into keeping his voice steady.

Why couldn't he push her away. This use to be so easy…this seemed like the hardest thing he had ever done.

Kylie gaped at him, one moment he had been happy to hear that she was staying and now he was…breaking up with her?

"Are you breaking up with me?" She asked softly as she felt her heart begin to break.

He had just tenderly cared for her and tended to her wounds, fretted over a horny university student and now…?

"Yes," Sherlock said sternly as he shut his eyes, his back still to her. He felt a tear run down his face. What in the hell? Why was he crying.

_Because this is killing you…_

_She'll be safe, that's all that matters._

_You can't protect her if you are far away. _

_I'll take care of Cahill, if he can't find her, he cant hurt her. Mycroft can hide her._

"Why?" Kylie asked angrily as she stood there staring at him. Her heart was crumbling, her whole world about to engulf her.

"Do I need a reason?" Sherlock asked as he gripped the counter as tightly as he could as to not waver.

"Yeah, you do," Kylie said as her voice broke slightly in a sob, "You really want me to leave?"

"Yes," Sherlock replied as his legs began to shake, threatening to give out; he felt as if he was dying from the inside out.

Kylie stood there. She was fuming. This wasn't right. She knew it.

"Then look me in the eye and tell me you don't love me," she said as tears streamed down her face, "Look me in the eye and tell me that last night, you didn't feel more whole, more vulnerable, more emotional, more loved than you have ever felt in your entire life. Because that's how I felt Sherlock. And I know you, you would NEVER break down any of you barriers and expose yourself, your whole self like that if you didn't feel the same. I love you, and I'm not leaving."

Sherlock stood there gripping the counter so hard that his knuckles were stark white.

"LOOK AT ME!" Kylie yelled through her tears.

"Two seconds ago we were fine, and now you want to break up?" She asked, "Look me in the eye Sherlock!"

He wiped his eyes and turned around, leaning on the counter, his eyes still on the floor.

He heard her walk over to him. He saw her shoes as he stared at the broken plates on the floor in front of him.

"Look at me," she said firmly through her tears. He could hear the pain and the heartbreak in her voice.

His eyes met hers and he felt his heart immediately being ripped from his chest. He could see the pain, sadness, anger, and confusion in her face. She was holding back a sob that was threatening to escape.

"Tell me you don't love me and this was a lie and I'm gone," Kylie told him as the sob escaped. He could literally see her heart caving in on itself.

He needed to just say those words…

_You don't mean it. You didn't even know what love was before she came along._

Just say them, they are words…

_You love her… She's a constant. Why would you chase the one constant out of your life?_

Sherlock tried to open his mouth, he couldn't find words. He couldn't do it, he couldn't say it. He just sat there, moving his mouth as nothing came out. He shut his eyes….WHY WAS THIS SO HARD?

_Because she is by far the greatest thing that has ever happened to you…_

"I cant," he whispered to himself, not realizing that he said it out loud.

Jesus, why was he so vulnerable?

Kylie sprung towards him, putting a bandaged hand on his cheek, cradling his face.

"Why are you doing this then?" Kylie asked.

His eyes opened. They were shining bright with tears he was fighting to hold back as he gazed at the window over her shoulder.

Kylie glanced back at the graffiti before turning back to him as wiping the single tear that fell from his face.

"You are trying to get rid of me to protect me?" she asked gently putting two and two together.

Sherlock just stared at her. He looked slightly panicked, sad, and almost scared.

Kylie just looked at him as her face softened, "You think that I am in danger because of what Cahill wants from you, the case?"

He just silently looked at her as another tear fell.

Kylie looked down and swallowed before she began to gently wipe his eyes once more, "Look, you were there to protect me with Thomas. It's my turn to be there, and protect you. I love you more than life itself and I'll be damned if someone hurts you more than they already have."

Sherlock grabbed her hand that was on his cheek as he held it there, stroking her hand as he took comfort in her touch, breaking down the temporary walls he had built within the last five minutes.

"If…" he couldn't finish the sentence, he was too overloaded. He couldn't speak.

"Nothing is going to happen to me," Kylie said looking at him, "You know why Sherlock? Because together, with the others, we can take this bastard down for good, before he can even touch us."

Sherlock just looked at her, he hoped she was right. He didn't know what on earth he would do if she was harmed in anyway from this. What did he do to deserve her? She should be running for the hills right now. She should have slapped him for trying to break up with her, but she didn't, she was here…

"Okay?" she asked, searching his face for some sign of understanding.

Sherlock nodded before he closed his eyes and pulled her tight to him, holding her as if he were trying to prove to himself that she was real and not a figment of his imagination. She was too good to be true. How could anyone love someone like him?

He felt her lay kisses on the crook of his neck as she held him tightly.

She was a constant, he had her, and he never EVER wanted to let go.

**So I lied…sorry… It changed as I was writing… like usual…**

**Anyhow I just want to make a note. I know this is not the Sherlock that I began to write in the Bone Interpreter, or in A Study in Bones, and even at the beginning of this story. I know this is OOC for him, but please keep in mind, that he has let Kylie in and dubbed her "Safe" she has broken down his barriers and is one of the few people who has truly seen who he really is on the most intimate level. He has done the same to her and that has changed him. He has accepted his feelings.**

**What I am trying to say, is that I feel that in most stories Sherlock is either changed too quickly and becomes sappy right away, or people forget that he IS a human being (despite what Donovan says) I think that Moffat and Gattis have done a wonderful job showing that in the fall and throughout the series. He makes mistakes, jokes, even cares for a woman… Kylie has just overflowed those emotions. **

**Despite his sociopathic nature, he is not a one-dimensional robot and has human needs. To be cared for, to be loved, to feel safe….**

**Why I'm ranting is because I have been having a debate with myself for the last three weeks on whether or not I took his character too far and made him too OOC. As you can tell (With help of Elleari..thank you my dear) this argument won. I have been trying to show the slow change, and his realizations along the way (whether I succeeded at that or not is a different story) so hopefully you lot all get where I am coming from…**

**Sigh**

**Anyhow, review? Let me know your thoughts please! Its much appreciated!**


	87. Chapter 87

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I love getting the feedback, both good and bad.**

**I just want to comment again on what I said last time; I'm not trying to CHANGE the Sherlock character. He just acts differently with Kylie. He is open with her because she is like John, in that she is safe. In the show, Sherlock opens up to John slightly (he admits that he is afraid, he cries when he is saying goodbye to him in the fall) we aren't able to see his thoughts that are going on in his head. Kylie has assumed a similar role in his life, only slightly more dramatic in that he has feelings for her and she has showed him that it is okay to feel and express that around her. **

**I hope this clarifies where I am coming from with a few of you!**

**I'll thank you all individually. I'm about to head out!  
**

**Enjoy!**

Kylie woke up the next morning to find Sherlock staring at the graffiti on their window. He still had his arms wrapped around her as they lay on their broken and torn couch, his mind was obviously far away.

Kylie sighed as she had her head on Sherlock's chest as she gazed at the disaster of their flat. They had just taken a moment to themselves after the fight and emotion that they had last night, not really noticing or the condition their destroyed flat was in. There was not a single unbroken surface. It felt terrible to have your home be invaded and trashed.

Kylie tried her best to wiggle out of Sherlock's embrace without taking him out of his thought process, but failed as his head snapped towards her.

"Sorry," Kylie said sheepishly as she dragged a hand through her hair, "You sleep at all."

Sherlock just looked at her blankly.

"Of course you didn't," Kylie said as she looked around the flat sighed once more. Their home was destroyed….

Sherlock followed her despondent gaze.

"I don't think there is a single thing in this flat that hasn't been destroyed Sherlock," Kylie said sadly before she got up and grabbed some trash bags off the floor and began picking up the broken pieces of their home.

Sherlock got up as well and began helping, earning a strange look from Kylie.

She just stood there in shock.

Sherlock was….cleaning? Sure he was meticulous about somethings such as his personal hygiene and his bedroom, but the living room, kitchen, and bathroom all remained organized chaos. Kylie had even once tried to get a shower and found a dead body laying in bathwater. He had apparently been testing the destructive process of tissue in tap water…

"What?" he asked as he put some broken dishes carefully in the trash bag she was holding.

"You're cleaning…" Kylie said in slight disbelief.

Sherlock looked at her skeptically, "I always clean."

"You clean yourself and the bedroom… never the living room or kitchen…"

"I still clean," Sherlock argued.

"Yes, I'm agreeing with you, but never the living room or the kitchen…"

"This is a pointless conversation," Sherlock said with slight annoyance, "You have already proven me right, so why are you still blabbering on about it?"

Kylie just stared at him, "Because you are cleaning."

"Oh God," Sherlock said rolling his eyes at her before stomping into the bedroom to clean there.

Kylie smiled slightly before shaking her head as she continued picking up her broken home.

"Oh my God," a voice said from the doorway. They had forgotten to shut the door to the stairs in the night prior at the shock.

It looked to Kylie that Witham had the same shock on his face as he stood in the doorway to their flat gaping at the sight before him.

"What in the hell happened?" Witham asked gaping.

"We had a break in," Kylie said as she picked up pieces of the broken frame responsible for the bandages on her hand from the night prior.

"And they destroyed your flat?" Witham said looking at the graffiti on the window, "What's that?"

Kylie froze; it wasn't any of Witham's business about Cahill. He knew that Sherlock was an addict, but she believed he was bluffing when he said he knew about the rest.

"Just a mark left," Sherlock said as he entered the room pocketing something…was that?

Kylie's eyes widened…that sneaky bastard.

She walked over to where she had laid her coat down and felt through the pockets; Trent's phone was gone. It was currently in the pocket of the man she had picked it off of.

"You're kidding?" Witham said as he looked around in amazement, "you two must have enemies if this is what they did to your flat."

"Just a random break in," Kylie said casually as she gave Sherlock a look that said 'you-rat-bastard-I-know-what-your-sneaky-ass-did-and-I'm-so-going-to-play-you-one-up-for-it'.

She could have sworn the ends of Sherlock's lips turned up into a slight grin, as he knew she had figured it out. He was winning the game.

"Wow," Witham said.

Kylie just continued to pick up broken things off the floor and attempting to make their flat habitable again before Witham put down his stuff and picked up a trash bag as well.

Kylie and Sherlock looked at him quizzically. Was he really helping them clean? After what they did to him?

"We can do our session as we clean then," Witham said as he caught them looking at him.

Kylie and Sherlock raised their eyebrows, "You obviously need the help, and as mad as I am at the two of you for treating our last session as a joke, having your home wrecked is a much worse thing to get through."

"How?" Sherlock said, "Someone just came and broke some things. How is that supposed to be psychoanalyzed on us?" he scoffed.

"This is your home." Witham said looking at him curiously, "Your home is supposed to be safe, that's what human beings have been engrained to do for thousands of years. When someone come in and destroy your home, your belongings where it is safe? That's a very tough thing to deal with."

Sherlock and Kylie just looked at him. Sure, Kylie felt that way, but there was no way she wanted him analyzing her right now.

So, she just shrugged, "Shit happens Witham."

Sherlock just looked at her quizzically, not understanding why she had been complaining about it earlier and now she was acting in the opposite. She was confusing…

"Shit happens?" Witham gaped at her before he shut his eyes, "Are you kidding?"

Kylie shrugged as Sherlock just stared at her, trying to read her.

"No," Witham said shaking his head as they all cleaned, "I don't believe it. Dr. Gibbs, you are far too attached to minute things such as your mother's wedding ring and sister's bracelet that you always wear. Your home is sacred to you. As well as Mr. Holmes, you do most of your work and experiments here because other than the morgue, this is one of the only places in which you feel comfortable. Neither of you just want to admit it."

Kylie and Sherlock just looked at him.

"No, I just think you'd psychoanalyze an ant if you had the chance," Sherlock told him as he began his third bag full of broken things.

"Damn," Kylie said she picked up the laptops. Both of them were smashed after the hard drives were removed, "They took our hard drives."

Sherlock and Witham kept bickering like children as Kylie set the laptops in the trash bag; they were obviously beyond repair and walked into the bedroom.

Some one had taken a box cutter to their mattress and box spring, tearing it to shreds. The closet had been emptied and clothes were thrown everywhere. Every single drawer had been emptied. Well at least they didn't have to buy all new clothes, God knows they had to replace just about everything else in the flat. Thank God Kylie had bought insurance. She was sure Mycroft had ensured the security of everything as well, but it was good to know that they would at least get some help trying to replace everything.

Kylie sighed, she'd need some of Charlie and John's help moving everything out to the dumpster.

She sighed before beginning to hang up the clothes and put them back in the drawers where they belonged. She knew she wasn't organizing Sherlock's sock index correctly, but right now, she just wanted at least one room back to normal.

"The two of you amaze me," Witham said as he leaned against the doorway.

Kylie turned and glanced at him as she folded clothes and put the drawers back in the dresser, wincing as she caught a drawer on her bandaged hand.

"How's that?" Kylie asked as she put clothes away.

"You two bicker constantly and yet when ever I or someone else threatens you or makes the two of you uncomfortable, you automatically close up and either use facts, or sarcasm to defend yourself against them."

"And how is that fascinating?" Kylie asked.

"Because the two of you are completely opposite in emotional status and personality," Witham said, "I don't understand how the two of you work."

"That doesn't make it a puzzle you need to solve," Kylie told him.

"We made a deal," Witham said, "My profiles for your cooperation."

Kylie sighed, "You are still mad about art class."

"It was a therapeutic team effort to express your feelings," Witham sighed.

"You didn't feel the same way Jenny did," Kylie said looking at him as his face dropped.

"What?"

"Let me guess, you like the girl, it's been a while since you've had a girlfriend, but you have found that things have moved WAY too quickly for your liking. She said she loves you, and by the look on your face in the art class…"

"Therapy session," Witham cut off.

"Art class," Kylie continued, "you obviously don't feel the same. She is a very nice girl, but clingy and her voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard. You aren't ready to commit there yet."

"Plus the fact that she wants you to move in with her," Sherlock said as he entered the room.

Both Kylie and Witham looked at him.

Sherlock just looked at them, "its obvious."

"She hasn't said anything," Witham said gaping.

"Take us through it?" Kylie asked.

"Not much too," Sherlock said, "newspaper ink smudged on the back of her hand as if she had been leaning on and reading a newspaper for an extended amount of time along with printing ink found in magazines. Both look similar but glint differently in the light. That with the combination of highlighter makers on her fingers, and the six letter and digital code."

"Code?" Witham asked.

"Code, yes, postal code, written on her hand," Sherlock ranted in frustration, "Seriously, do you even opens your eyes?"

Kylie cracked a smile, she hadn't even noticed that.

"Okay," Witham cracked, "She's been a bit…overbearing lately…"

"You so want to break up with her," Kylie said smiling.

"Yes," Witham said sighing.

"Then why don't you?" she asked.

"Because I'd have to look into her sweet big brown eyes and watch her cry. I'll miss her cuddles, and the way she makes my lunch…"

"Wait…" Kylie said biting back a laugh, "She makes your lunch?"

Witham froze, not realizing that he had said that out loud.

"How old are you?" Kylie asked trying her hardest trying not to flat out laugh at him as she put the rest of the clothes away.

"She just…. does it," Witham said closing his eyes in slight humiliation.

"Uh, huh," Kylie said glancing at Sherlock who was oblivious as he had taken out Trent's phone again.

Kylie pressed her lips together; he knew that she wouldn't say anything due to Witham's nosiness. Damn… she needed that phone back. He was going to do something rash, and well, she really didn't want to lose the game that they had begun.

"What do I do?" Witham asked.

Kylie and Sherlock's head snapped towards him.

"I'm sorry, are you asking US for advice?" Kylie asked, not believing it.

"Its healthy to ask for advice," Witham said, blushing slightly.

"You believe that we are dysfunctional," Kylie said looking at him skeptically.

"You two have a dynamic relationship that shouldn't work, I never said dysfunctional," Witham told them as Sherlock just looked at him as if he had lost his mind.

Kylie raised an eyebrow at him as his eyes pleaded with her, "What do I do?"

"Either talk to her about it, or break up with her," Kylie said shrugging.

Witham turned to Sherlock, "What would you do?"

Both Kylie and Sherlock looked at him as if he had lost his mind. Did he really just ask Sherlock Holmes for dating advice?

"If this were Kylie, what would you do?" Witham asked again.

Sherlock just looked at him as if he had a disease and slowly began to slip out of the room, looking at Witham as if he were going to attack him if he took is eyes off of him. Kylie tried not to laugh as Sherlock carefully slipped out of the room before quickly walking out of the flat, completely unresponsive to Witham's question.

Witham turned back to Kylie and gaped, "Did I say something?"

**I know this chapter is lame…. sorry guys…**

**Review!**


	88. Chapter 88

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed.**

**As per the much-debated fact of how I have written Sherlock in this story, I am not going to thank you. **

**I just need to stop over thinking how I have done it. I know a few of you ARE NOT happy with it, and I am sorry. I believe that I have my reasonings and yes; I know sometimes I took him a little overboard, but I do write a chapter a day… And lets face it, every author of a Sherlock story has had Sherlock Holmes (Aka one of the hardest people to write) out of character at one point or another.**

**I also stand by everything that I have said when debating the character, I know some of you think that I contradicted myself when I say that I haven't changed him…and I disagree. Maybe I wasn't clear enough, I mean that I haven't changed him; I just exposed a new side of him. I know you most likely disagree, and I'm sorry, but I stand by the fact that I have said before, Kylie is on the same page as John (Which Sherlock actually opens up rather quickly as a study in pink takes place in only a few days and he opens up to him more than anyone else) **

**But I am done going on about this. I am writing this story now, and I am glad that some of you understand and I am sorry to those who don't like it. It's been over three stories and I think it is realistic and I am sorry if you disagree. I don't pay attention to the fandom or really read other stories..I am just obsessed with ACD's books and the show. Sherlock Holmes's character has been adapted by Moffat and Gattis and in my opinion is a very REAL character. I know that he is a sociopath, but Moffat and Gattis show the human side of him very well and that is what I have hoped to exemplify as he moves forward in a relationship. Disagree with me as you might, I am sorry, and I can see what you guys are saying, but I once again stand by it.**

**I appreciate all of the opinions that I received both good and bad. I adore the honesty even if it is hard to hear. I really do appreciate it. The honesty helps me to become a better writer and I am sorry if I don't totally go with what you are saying. I completely understand what each and every one of you said in the addressed topic. This will be the last time I address it in the A/N if you still would like to discuss it, I would be happy to via PM, but I will not respond about it in the A/N anymore…. You guys are probably tired of it, and I don't blame you. **

**Sorry to those of you who reviewed about other things and thanks to my new readers and first time reviewers for your AMAZING reviews. I really appreciate it!**

**Enjoy!**

Kylie sighed as she hung up the phone with the insurance company. This was a freaking nightmare. The insurance company was thankfully going to pay for part of the damages, but they still had to replace every single piece of furniture.

What we she thinking, she'd do it all.

Sherlock still hadn't returned from running out on Witham, who had left about an hour ago. Kylie had picked up the flat as best she could, leaving her with about thirty trash bags full to the bring with broken things and the bulky furniture. Mrs. Hudson had been kind enough to help even though she had become a mess, feeling guilty as she had been next store arguing with the sandwich shop owner, completely missing the break in.

Kylie had been able to get her to take one of her herbal soothers and calm down before she became hysterical.

"Oh my God," Mary said as she and John walked into the flat looking around at the mess, "Are you serious?"

"Thanks for coming guys," Kylie said smiling slightly at them.

"You said trashed, but I didn't know you meant TRASHED," Mary said gaping at the damage and the graffitied windows.

"Are you okay?" John asked her with concern.

"Yeah," Kylie sighed as she shut her eyes and ran a hand through her hair, "I'll be fine."

She checked her phone for any messages before turning to John, "Have you heard from Sherlock at all? He walked out of the flat hours ago and I have no clue where he is."

John frowned, "no idea."

"He just LEFT this with you?" Mary gaped angrily.

"More like Witham scared him out of here," Kylie said smirking, "Witham asked Sherlock for dating advice."

John snorted with laughter as Mary cracked a smile, "You're kidding."

"Nope," Kylie said laughing as she grabbed some of the trash bags, "Make yourselves…. comfortable? I'm just going to take this down."

John scoffed as he scooped up some of the bags and followed as Mary did the same.

"You guys don't have to help," Kylie told them.

"Kylie, shut up," John told her, "We're your friends, your flat was ransacked, and Sherlock is God-knows where. I think we can help you put your flat back into one piece. You'd do the same for us."

Kylie smiled as they both walked past her and put the trash in the now, overflowing bins. John pulled out his cell phone and began dialing as he walked back towards the flat.

"Charlie," he said as he walked past Kylie and back into the flat, "Call Lestrade, there was a break in at Baker Street. The flat was trashed."

Kylie tried to object before Mary grabbed her shoulders and spun her around to face her, "Let us help," Mary told her blatantly, "I know you are stubborn and want to do everything on your own, but if this were any of the rest of us, you would be there in a heartbeat. We are your friends, that's what we are for."

Kylie just looked at Mary before smiling at her, "Thank you," she said quietly.

Mary smiled and hugged her, "You're welcome."

"Now," Mary said as she pulled back, "Lets go talk about how you are going to redecorate that bachelor pad."

Kylie frowned, "I loved it the way it was."

Mary scoffed as she dragged her up the stairs and back into the flat.

**^% #*& **

Trent Baker sighed as he trudged up the three flights of stairs to his flat that he shared with a few of his teammates, grumbling under his breath about how he didn't have a mobile anymore. Now how in the hell was he going to get off with that girl from his chem lab?

He set down his bag of groceries and grabbed his keys out of his pockets before he noticed that the door was already slightly open.

Trent frowned before he rolled his eyes, his flatmates… God dammit.

He shoved open the door and flipped on the lights as picked up his bag of groceries. Trent jumped about three feet in the air as he looked up to find none other than his professor's boyfriend staring at him from the couch, drumming his hands impatiently on the arm of the sofa.

How had he….?

What the…?

"Hello Trent," Sherlock said making sure to emphasize his name with a polite smile as he continued drumming his fingers on the arm of the sofa.

Trent only had one thought that crossed his mind as he gazed upon the Dark haired detective in his flat.

Oh shit….

^&^*#&*#

"How about this one?" Mary suggested as she plopped herself down on about the 34th sofa that they had seen. Kylie sighed it was bright red. All that she wanted was their old flat, she didn't want to redecorate, she didn't want new things. She loved that couch; Sherlock was obsessed with that couch. It was his thinking couch…

"Kylie, you need to get over the fact that that sofa is gone," Mary told her, "That flat was a bachelor pad…do you really want to live there for the rest of your life? Because God knows, the two of you are never breaking up."

Kylie glared at her, "That's what you said before the first time we broke up…"

"And look at you now," Mary told her.

Kylie rolled her eyes before she looked around the furniture store.

"Look you have to replace everything!" Mary said as she got up, "I still cant believe that the only thing that made it through the ransack was that stupid mounted cow's skull."

"Hey, I freaking love that thing!" Kylie objected before she spotted something across the store.

Kylie quickly walked over to it, making sure that she wasn't hallucinating. It was the exact same black leather couch that had been in their living room. Literally, the exact same one. Sure, it didn't have the spot on the arm from where Sherlock spilled acid on it, but it was the same one.

Kylie smiled as she ran a hand along it and looking at price tag.

"Oh God, Kylie!" Mary complained noting how the couch was the same, "please don't tell me you are getting that same damn couch!"

"Its for dirt cheap Mary!" Kylie objected as she dropped the 'super sale' tag and plopped down on it, savoring the familiar feeling.

"Both you and Sherlock can afford it!" Mary said, "Sherlock and John split their case money, and let me tell you, those boys are successful. And you make an absurd amount of money teaching at Bart's!"

"I do not," Kylie said laughing. She really didn't. The University gave her a fair amount of money, and that's all that she expected.

Mary just gave her a skeptical look as Kylie blushed, "I don't!"

"Whatever," Mary said throwing up her hands, "All that I know is that 221B needs a feminine touch."

Kylie rolled her eyes at her friend, "What do you want me to do, make it so girly that it looks like the inside of tinker bell's vagina, with sparkles and rainbows and magic?"

Mary burst out laughing as the whole store looked at her.

"Shhh," Kylie said trying to quiet her as she tried not to laugh at her own stupid joke.

**&*#^ (***

Kylie sighed and put away the rest of the Chinese takeout that she had gotten as a thank you for John, Mary, Charlie, and Lestrade who had helped her move all of the broken furniture out and the few things she had bought in.

She looked around the flat. Her and Mary had been able to find an exact copy of the couch, a new mattress and bedframe, a dark wooden coffee table and a kitchen table at a thrift store, and a couple of armchair a lovely elderly couple had been trying to give away. Kylie had fallen in love with the chairs immediately. They were elegantly carved and well taken care of. The chairs were comfortable and had been worn in just the right amount.

It looked different, but it felt like home.

Kylie checked her phone for the twelfth time in the last ten minutes. She was worried; Sherlock had been gone for about twelve hours now. It was nearing nine at night and he wasn't responding to any of her texts.

John had calmed her about it a little, as that happened to him often before he moved out. The only reason that Kylie had been able to calm down a little bit about it was because if something had happened to him, she knew she would feel it.

She sat down on the couch nursing her glass of wine that Mary had gotten her, and waited.

She only had to wait about ten minutes before Sherlock came walking into the flat, pulling off his scarf before he froze, looking around suspiciously, as if he was trying to figure out how on earth his couch had repaired itself.

"I found another one," Kylie smiled at him as she sat there, her legs curled under.

Sherlock remained silent as he looked around the flat, taking in the similarities and differences.

"This is the part where you usually say thank you," Kylie said as she finished the last of her wine and got up to put it in the sink.

"Thank you?" Sherlock said in a confused tone as she made her way into the kitchen, stopping immediately and frowning at him.

"What in the hell happened to you?" Kylie said as she noticed a rather large bruise on his jaw. It looked rather fresh as she set the glass on the counter and immediately went over to him tipping his face up so she could have a better look at it.

"Where have you been?" Kylie said as she began to fret and Sherlock gently trued to grab her hand and pull it away, but she just smacked his hand and went back to fretting over the bruise.

"Working the case," Sherlock replied.

"What case?" Kylie asked sarcastically as she went to the freezer and took a piece of ice and their one remaining towel, wrapping it tightly around the cube and gently pressing it to his jaw, causing him to wince and glare at her with annoyance.

"The Zodiac case," He replied, "The homeless network found a lead."

"What'd you find?" Kylie asked.

"Lead dead ended," Sherlock lied.

"How'd you get the bruise?"

"I apparently insulted a drug dealer," Sherlock told her.

Kylie looked at him skeptically, she couldn't read him, he had his poker face on and walls up. If this man ever wanted to gamble, he would make bank at Texas Hold'em.

"Okay," Kylie told him, "I was just worried," she said before leaning up to kiss him tenderly.

Warm butterflies ran through her as her lips touched his. She would never grow tired of the electricity between them.

She pulled back as Sherlock took the ice from her and kept it on his cheek as she went back over to the couch and sat down, curling her feet under her as Sherlock took off his coat and blazer, hanging them over one of the new arm chairs.

He looked at Kylie awkwardly for a moment before reaching his hand into his pants pocket and walking over to her.

Kylie raised an eyebrow at his awkwardness before he pulled a small object out and held it in his hand.

"I… er… here," he said before he set down a small box.

Kylie's eyebrows shot into her hairline; it wasn't just any small box. It was a worn velvet blue box. The box was tiny, as it was meant to hold a piece of jewelry.

What?

Sherlock just walked away and over to investigate the damage that had been done to the fireplace and bookcase as Kylie just stared at the box on the coffee table.

There wasn't necessarily what she thought was in that box, in that box.

She tentatively reached out a hand and picked up the box carefully. She was holding her breath as she slowly opened the box.

Inside lay one of the most stunning antique rings she had ever seen. It was silver and the band was carefully sculpted and engraved into an elegant design as the center held a stunning sapphire. The ring was obviously old, but it was gorgeous non the less.

Kylie couldn't breath… what was this?

She couldn't move, she was just staring at the ring.

Sherlock wandered back over and looked at her shock with confusion.

"What is this?" Kylie asked breathlessly.

Sherlock just looked at her as if she had had her brain removed, "A ring."

"Yes, but…" Kylie said trying to find words as she looked at it, "Its too much."

He just shrugged as he set the ice on the table, "Family heirloom."

Kylie just looked at him.

"What is this?"

"A ring, I just told you," Sherlock said growing annoyed.

"Why?" Kylie asked.

Sherlock froze and then just shrugged; he wasn't about to tell her this was an experiment.

Kylie just looked back down at the ring. She was in shock, she didn't understand…

"But…" Kylie began before Sherlock sighed loudly and rolled his eyes.

"Oh for God's sake," He said before walking over pulling the box out of Kylie's hand, yanking out the ring, grabbing her left hand and putting the ring on her ring finger.

Kyle froze….he put it on her left. ..

…it must have been a mistake…

She took it off and put it on her right before Sherlock objected, taking her hand, pulling it off, and placing it back on her left.

"That's my left hand," Kylie said looking at him.

"I know," Sherlock said as if he were talking to a child.

"Sherlock, that holds…uh, significance…"

"I know," Sherlock told her as if it were obvious.

"What does this mean?" Kylie asked as she froze completely.

"We need to go to the tea shop where we went for the broken-heart killer case," Sherlock said as he turned around and opened a file, looking at it to see what it was, "We have to look like a married couple. I think there is a man who is a part of Cahill's crew who works there and we need to blend in. I can't have you fidgeting with it tomorrow, so you need to get used to it." Sherlock made up as he looked at the file.

"Oh," Kylie said as she looked at the ring on her left hand. She didn't know what to feel knowing that this wasn't an engagement ring. She didn't know what was going on with her right now. Her heart was racing and she was numb.

Sherlock glanced up at her. She was just staring at the ring on her hand. He needed to test this theory. It had worked with Mary, and every other woman that had a ring on her left hand; it had to work with her. After…that kid…. He had to engage in this experiment.

His notes began tomorrow.

**I know I just opened a whole nother can of worms, but the ring will be discussed further over the next couple of chapters..**

**Review?**


	89. Chapter 89

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate each and every one of them!**

**Here's the next chapter, hopefully the ring thing will be explained more clearly that it was last chapter (It was supposed to be sort of confusing)**

**Enjoy!**

Kylie walked back out of their bedroom putting on her pumps, as she got ready for class, only to find Sherlock at the table reading the paper.

She smiled and walked over to kitchen to make a cup of coffee before she left. She fidgeted with her left hand. The ring felt awkward, she wasn't used to it. Plus its not like it signified what every one else thought it signified.

She wasn't sure as to how she felt about what had happened the night prior. She was truthfully still confused. She was in too much of a shock last night to really figure it out. He had just plopped the ring on the table like it was nothing and shoved it on her left ring finger.

He had explained that the ring was for a case, but she still didn't understand why she had to wear it now. It was gorgeous but, why her left?

She walked back out into the living room and took her spot across from Sherlock at the table as she began flipping through part of the paper. Kylie curled her feet underneath her as she nursed her coffee, seeing Sherlock glance at her left hand quickly before turning back to his paper.

She raised her eyebrow at him and set down her coffee.

"Sherlock, why on earth are you so adamant that I wear this on my left hand?" Kylie asked.

"It's a hand, does it matter?" Sherlock said non-chalantly.

"Yes," Kylie said looking at him strangely, "It really does."

…Maybe he really didn't understand….

"Why? It's a piece of jewelry. Why does it matter which hand you wear it on?" Sherlock said as he hid behind his paper.

"Because if I wear it on my left hand, it means that we are engaged or married," Kylie said slowly, trying to make the nerves that she was feeling go away. Why was she nervous?

Sherlock's paper snapped down as he looked at her.

"Are we…uh…" Kylie said as she played with the ring, unable to meet his eyes, "Are we, uh…engaged?"

Sherlock looked at her strangely for a moment.

Kylie felt seconds slow to what seemed like days.

"No," Sherlock told her as if she was something strange that he had never seen before.

Kylie felt a wave of relief and disappointment hit her in a mix of confusion.

"Okay," Kylie said softly.

Sherlock just kept looking at her strangely as he held the paper in his hands.

"Then why am I wearing it on my left hand?" Kylie asked.

"I told you, we need to go undercover again as a married couple at the coffee shop."

"We never wore rings before," Kylie countered.

"Those people fool easier than these," Sherlock made up.

Kylie just looked at him, "So why do I have to wear it on my left now? We aren't in the coffee shop."

"You cant fidget with it, it has to seem natural," Sherlock told her.

"So," Kylie said pinching the bridge of her nose. Why was this man so damn complicated? "Let me get this straight. You want me to wear your families ring all day and around everywhere, which tells everyone that we are engaged and we will have to endure questioning from everyone and their mother, all because you don't trust me not to fidget with the ring?"

"Yes," Sherlock said as he looked at her as if her IQ had dropped by a hundred points.

Kylie looked at the table and raised her eyebrows in a very John-like look of surprise, frustration and confusion.

"Okay," she said as she got up and grabbed her bag, "I'll see you later then."

Kylie walked out the door with out another look.

Sherlock frowned, and looked around the flat as if he was trying to figure out why she had just walked out instead of kissing her cheek like she always did.

**&^&*#(#**

"Good morning class," Kylie said as she walked into class only to hear low, solemn whispers as she walked to the front of class.

"You all have to forgive me as I don't have a PowerPoint today my computer…." Kylie trailed off as she looked at the concerned faces of the class.

"What happened?" Kylie asked them.

"Its Trent Professor," Brent told her, "He's in the hospital in critical condition."

Kylie's eyes went wide, sure the kid was a pain in the ass, but she still cared about him.

"What happened?" Kylie asked.

"Apparently he fell out the window of his flat after getting mugged. He's under a psych hold in the ICU for attempting suicide," Halley told her.

"He claims he wasn't trying to commit suicide though," Brent told her, "He just says he fell out the window…"

Kylie just looked at the class, why did this sound so familiar? Falling out of a window after being roughed up…

Then it clicked….

Trent, the phone…that rat bastard…

"When did this happen?" Kylie asked as her jaw clenched, Sherlock wouldn't have dared…

"Yesterday," Halley told her.

"What time?"

"Why…?"

"WHAT TIME?"

"I think around late afternoon, dinner time?" Brent asked as the class looked at Kylie with confusion and fright.

Kylie nodded as she pulled out her phone and sent a text to Sherlock.

_Where are you? - KG_

"Professor, you okay?" Brent asked before a girl in the back row gasped.

"WHAT IS THAT?" the girl asked her jaw dropped as she pointed at Kylie's hand that was currently holding her cell phone.

Kylie looked at her skeptically, "A phone Miss. Davis."

"NO, the ring!" Veronica Davis squealed.

Kylie looked down to see the sapphire ring glinting back at her.

Goddamn Sherlock Holmes.

"Its not what you guys think it is…" Kylie began before every girl and even a few of the boys in the class began asking questions excitedly.

"How'd he do it?"

"Oh my GOD you are engaged to Sherlock Holmes!"

"Was it romantic?"

"Oh GOD Sherlock Holmes!"

"How big is that ring?"

"SHERLOCK HOLMES!"

"I'm NOT ENGAGED!" Kylie yelled in frustration.

The class went silent.

"But the ring is on your left hand?" Veronica said as if it were common sense.

Kylie sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "I know, its just…. a long story, but I am neither married nor engaged."

"But…"

"I'M NOT!"

The class was silent as Kylie's phone went off.

_Yard Morgue- SH_

Kylie just sighed and grabbed her bag, "Look guys, I'm sorry. I have had a rough last couple of days and I am sorry that I yelled at you. I'll bring stuff tomorrow and we will make Trent a card. Class is dismissed, I have to go somewhere."

The class began silently packing up their things as Brent came up to her.

"I hope things get better for you soon Dr. Gibbs," the young man told her with a smile.

"Thanks Brent," Kylie told him as she made her way out of class to go and murder her boyfriend.

**^&*^#^&**

"You seriously think that this has to do with Cahill?" John asked quietly so Mary could not hear them as she was doing a post-mortem on another body.

"Positive," Sherlock told him as they thoroughly looked over the Zodiac victims once more.

"The graffiti in your flat?"

"His symbol," Sherlock finished as he scraped some trace off of the bones.

"What are you boys whispering about?" Mary asked suspiciously.

John opened his mouth when the morgue door banged open and a furious looking Kylie stormed in.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!" Kylie yelled as Mary and John gaped while Sherlock just continued to look at the body.

"Not at the moment," Sherlock joked slightly as he was focused on the body.

"Seriously? You threw my student out of the window!" Kylie growled at him, fuming.

"You did what?" John asked gaping at him.

"He's in the ICU Sherlock and under a psych hold! They are convinced he tried to commit suicide!" Kylie yelled at him.

"Is this the kid with the phone?" John asked.

Sherlock just looked up at John who just nodded.

"Okay then," John said turning his attention back to the body, remembering the texts that Sherlock had told him about.

"OKAY?" Kylie gaped at him running a hand through her hair.

"WHAT IN THE HELL IS THAT?" Mary yelled, practically running over to Kylie and stripping off her gloves before grabbing her hand and gaping at the ring.

"Is that…?" John asked breathlessly turning to his best friend who rolled his eyes as he looked at the body.

"NOT WHAT YOU BOTH THINK IT IS!" Kylie yelled, clearly frustrated with her situation and Sherlock.

"It's a ring…." Mary said looking at her, "…on your left hand…."

"We're not engaged, it's just a flipping ring!" Kylie said angrily.

"…On your left hand…" Mary said raising an eyebrow at her.

"Why don't you just ask him," Kylie gestured angrily at Sherlock, "Oh wait, he may just chuck you off a rooftop."

And with that, Kylie turned on her heel and stomped out the door, slamming it shut behind her, leaving a gaping John and Mary, while Sherlock was still looking at the body intently.

Both John and Mary looked at Sherlock, before glancing at each other. Mary then walked out the door after Kylie while John crossed his arms and stared at Sherlock.

"What in the bloody hell was that about?"

"There's a trace substance left on the body," Sherlock said standing up and scraping some into a petri dish.

"Seriously? You don't care that the woman you love just stormed out of here?" John said.

"She's upset about a ring," Sherlock dismissed.

"And the fact that you nearly killed one of her students for writing perverted text messages," John told him before looking at him pointedly, "Did you give her that ring?"

"I don't see the point of this conversation," Sherlock said as he stood up straight.

"So you did then," John said pointedly before pinching the bridge of his nose, "you told her to wear it on her left hand didn't you?"

Sherlock just looked around the room awkwardly, giving John his answer.

"Jesus Sherlock!" John gaped at him, "You don't just give a woman a ring and tell her to wear it on her left hand then say, 'oh yeah, but we aren't engaged'. It doesn't work like that!"

"It's a piece of jewelry!" Sherlock said rolling his eyes, already done with the conversation.

"Why did you give it to her then?" John asked, "Why did you make her wear it on her left hand?"

Sherlock just shrugged.

"You always have a reason, and unless you tell me right now, I'm calling Mycroft to tell your mother that you are having dinner with tomorrow that the two of you are engaged," John told him.

Sherlock gave him a glare that said you-wouldn't-dare.

John just pulled out his phone and began typing.

"Experiment," Sherlock grumbled.

"Experiment of what?" John asked looking at him quizzically.

Sherlock just looked at him before John got it.

"You put a ring on her finger to test whether she keeps getting hit on by men?" John asked in a flat, unimpressed tone, "You think that a wedding ring is a 'man repellant' to keep the Trent thing from happening again?"

Sherlock just looked at him, how in the hell had John figured it out?

John sighed, "Seriously Sherlock you are by far the most brilliant person I know, but that was BY FAR the DUMBEST thing you have ever done."

Sherlock just looked at him.

"You just can't experiment on the woman you love! Especially not with something as intimate as a wedding ring."

"It's a ring," Sherlock told him, "Not a _wedding_ ring."

"She loves you. You two have been to hell and back and have moved in together and marriage is the next logical step! You have to see how confused she was!"

Sherlock scoffed and looked disgusted by the word marriage as he walked out of the room, John close behind.

"Seriously Sherlock, have you ever considered…" John began before Sherlock rounded on him.

"What John? _Marriage?_" Sherlock spat, "What for? It's a supposedly religious ceremony in which you get a piece of paper? Its absurd and irrelevant."

"You are promising yourself to that person for the rest of your life," John argued.

Sherlock scoffed once more, "By what, a man saying a few words? Do me a favor John and shut up, I feel you are turning into Anderson and lowering my IQ by the second," he said before stomping off down the hall.

John just gazed after his friend and shook his head. Sherlock Holmes was by far the most brilliant and yet the thickest man he knew.

**Review?**


	90. Chapter 90

**Okay super short chapter sorry guys! I've been super busy with work stuff so I apologize!**

**A huge thanks to djbirdywantstofly, fanfreak4ever, thegirlwiththebrowneyes (I have something planned, but I may use that one in the future!) X-poisonCherry-X, optimistic Livvy, Gwilwillith, staacielou, monterpeguine, bored 411, and Chelgallifreya221B613 for their amazing reviews last chapter. I really appreciate all of you feedback!  
**

**Here's the next chapter, sorry it's short!**

Kylie ran.

That's all she wanted to do. She was so furious she couldn't handle it and running as fast as she could through the streets of London was helping her as she blasted her music through her head phones.

She had briefly stopped at 221B and changed then literally ran out the door as fast as she could. She was so frustrated, so angry, that she literally couldn't see straight.

God, she had to date the most infuriating man on the planet didn't she?

This was absurd. She really still didn't understand the whole ring thing, but he had his reasons, her only thing was, why in the hell was she doing it?

The ring was creating unwanted attention and questions as she wore it on her left hand as he had asked. Yet, for some reason, she did not want to take it off. It was so stupid. The ring was gorgeous, but it was far too elaborate for a gift and they weren't engaged, so why did she still love how it felt on her left hand?

Kylie rolled her eyes at herself. She needed to pull her act together. She was being ridiculous.

The light turned red as Kylie slowed to breath as traffic went by. She looked at the ring on her hand. It looked so…. right…

_Goddammit Kylie. Stop being a stupid girl. If you stay with Sherlock, you aren't getting married. That doesn't matter._

Truthfully, it wasn't the ceremony that Kylie wanted anyways. She would NEVER want all that attention on her. Sure, weddings were adorable and fun, but they were a lot of money for some fru-fru-ness that was stupid and uncalled for. All that she wanted was the promise of commitment.

_You already have that…_

"I know," Kylie argued with herself.

She was just so frustrated with that man. She didn't understand this whole ring business, and the fact that she had almost killed her student.

The light turned green and she continued her run at full pace.

Why in the HELL had he thrown Trent out of a window? John had told her about the time that he had done the same thing to a CIA agent who had roughed up Mrs. Hudson, putting him in the hospital for months.

That man had laid a hand on her, Trent hadn't touched Kylie. She didn't get it. Sure, she had been afraid that he would threaten him, but she hadn't known that he would beat the crap out of the kid and throw him out of his window more than once.

His face had come back bruised; Trent had most likely gotten in a swing or two.

Kylie just shook her head as she felt more anger and frustration build in her.

She loved that man. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, but it just amazed her about how much he didn't get some things. He had just given her a ring and not expected her to think anything of it. Did he not think that they were serious?

Sherlock hadn't been in a relationship, she knew this was all new for him, but seriously…? He had to know that they were serious. She had seen parts of him that she doubted anyone had ever seen before. Maybe he just didn't think about it…

That had to be it.

…GOD HE WAS FRUSTERATING!

Kylie just kept running as she finished her usual loop for the third time. Energy still raged through her, she was going to run until she dropped, she had too; otherwise she'd end up killing the man she loved out of frustration with him.

**%^&#*& **

"Sherlock seriously," John nagged as they finally arrived at Baker Street hours later only to find that Kylie wasn't home, "You need to talk with her. I know you want…"

"OH GOD! WILL YOU SHUT UP!" Sherlock yelled at him as he turned around to face him.

"NO!" John yelled back, "I'm not letting you chase Kylie out of your life once more! I care too much about both of you to let you two hate the rest of your life all because you are afraid of marriage!"

"_Marriage?_" Sherlock said as if the word was filthy, "Seriously, just because you are pathetic enough to believe that it establishes an eternal connection just because you have a piece of paper that says so…"

"Pathetic?" John gaped at him, "Sherlock trust me, running away from this like you are is much more pathetic than going through a lame ceremony together as a thing that cements you and the woman you love together until death do you part."

Sherlock glared daggers at him, "I'm pathetic?"

"Yeah, you are," John said, "You obviously love Kylie, you obviously want her around for the rest of your life…."

"I never said that," Sherlock snapped.

John just shut his eyes in frustration; he was trying to counter every single thing that he said just to spite him.

"Its extremely obvious, I mean Jesus Sherlock, you beat the living crap out of a kid because he wrote some rude fantasies about her!"

"So…" Sherlock snapped as he glared at his best friend.

John snapped, he was done.

"PULL YOUR FUCKING HEAD OUT OF YOUR ARSE AND SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY!" John yelled, "She loves you more than life itself, she left you once when you acted like a dick, and you are doing it again. You two are bloody perfect for each other, but right now, you don't deserve her Sherlock. You are too bloody scared and pathetic."

"I'm not the one screaming for no reason," Sherlock said as he glowered.

"No reason?" John asked, his voice low and dripping with anger.

Sherlock just glowered back before John threw a punch at his best friend and they began scuffling on the floor once more.

**&^&*#(***

Kylie walked into the flat, essentially carrying herself up the stairs. Her legs were dead, she was exhausted. She had no energy left…at all.

Kylie opened the door to see both of the arm chairs laying on the floor as a bloodied and panting John was leaning up against one of them, while Sherlock, who was also bloodied, bruised, and panting, was leaning against the wall of the kitchen.

It looked as if their flat had been trashed for a second time.

Kylie just looked at the both of them as they looked at her.

She just shut her eyes in frustration before stepping over Sherlock's legs and walking into the kitchen making tea and getting some water. John and Sherlock just looked at each other before Kylie walked out and into the bathroom with out a single word, starting the shower and stepping in.

They heard the shower door shut and John just turned to him.

"You should start groveling…soon," he told him before he carefully got up, flinching from the bruises they had managed to get and setting the chair up right before walking out of the flat.

Sherlock just sat there, debating what to do before he slowly got up and found himself at the bathroom door.

Sherlock just furrowed his eyebrows. Why was it when it came to Kylie, his feet had a mind of their own? She was a magnet that pulled him towards her.

John's words echoed in his head, "You don't deserve her…. she left you once when you were acting like a dick, and you are doing it again…"

He just stood outside the door and stared at the knob while his internal debate raged.

**&^*#^%#**

Kylie banged her head lightly on the tile of the shower as the cool water rushed over her. She was so frustrated; she had no idea what to do. She just wanted to blow up, but yelling never solved anything.

Kylie looked up at the stream of water, letting the water pour over her face before she heard the bathroom door open and shut quietly once more. She saw the out line of Sherlock shuffling around the bathroom before the shower door opened and a very naked Sherlock stepped in.

Kylie just ignored him and kept going on with her shower, as she was so annoyed with him at the moment. She didn't hear him move for a moment before he tentatively stepped forward and awkwardly put his hands on her arms before pulling back, then hesitantly wrapped his arms around her from behind, awkwardly.

"What?" Kylie said with a slight annoyance.

"You're still wearing it," Sherlock said quietly as he felt the ring on her left hand with his.

"You asked me to," Kylie said annoyed.

"Didn't mean you would do it," Sherlock said quietly as he brought his lips to her temple.

Kylie fidgeted out of his embrace and began washing herself as she still had her back to him, refusing to look at him.

Sherlock just looked at her, she had never done that before…

John's voice echoed once more, "_You're being a dick…"_

Was she just mad at him?

Sherlock took one look at her and had his answer. Yes, she was definitely mad at him…

He didn't know what to do. He wasn't sorry for what he did; he stood by everything that he did. Trent needed to be taught a lesson, and the ring…well that was an experiment.

Kylie suddenly stepped out of the shower, wrapped a towel around herself and walked out of the bathroom, leaving Sherlock all alone.

WHAT WAS GOING ON!

He shut off the shower and hopped out as well, picking up his clothes and wrapping in a towel before going into the bedroom to find Kylie already in bed, her back to the place where he usually slept.

He just set his clothes in his hamper before pulling on his pajama pants as he looked at her awkwardly.

How was he supposed to fix this?


	91. Chapter 91

**Another super short one! Sorry guys! I was locked in meetings for work all day today so I apologize! **

**A HUGE thanks t my amazing reviewers: staaacielou, bored411, Gwilwillith, ChelGallifreya221B613, optimistic Livvy, X-poisonCherry-X, the girlwiththebrowneyes, and Elleari for their reviews!**

**Just a reminder….THIS STORY IS RATED M!**

**And yeah…here ya go!**

Sherlock just looked at her as she tried to stay as still as possible.

He glared at his mind as he heard John's voice once more, "_APOLOGIZE! Even if you don't think that you are wrong. That's how a relationship works_."

Why in the hell did he keep hearings John's voice. It was annoying.

Sherlock slowly got into bed as well, lying flat on his back and stared at the ceiling. He looked over at Kylie as she fidgeted slightly. She was feigning sleep.

How was he supposed to do this?

"I'm sorry," came out of his mouth quietly before he even realized that he had thought it. Seriously, why did he lose complete control of his body with this woman?

He saw Kylie's body soften slightly at his words. Sherlock just looked at her curiously; John had actually been right…

"I'm sorry I upset you," he said again, hoping to get her to actually look at him.

Kylie stiffened and then sat up, spinning round at him with fury in her eyes, "Is that all you are sorry for Sherlock?" Kylie snapped.

His eyes widened at her, she was pissed.

"Hm?" She asked angrily.

"Yes," he told her looking at her with confusion.

"Really? You are only sorry for upsetting me?" Kylie asked.

Why was she still angry?

"Why are you irrational?" he asked, "Are you menstruating?"

Kylie's fist met his face as he was thrown out of the bed before Kylie turned over and pulled the blankets over her as she tried her damndest to go back to sleep.

Sherlock sat up slightly dazed from the pain of her punch. He literally thought that she punched harder than John did. He just looked at her back, why in hell had she hit him? He just asked a question!

"Are you?" He asked before the alarm clock was being chucked at his head, he ducked out of the way just in time.

Not good…got it…

He just looked around the room awkwardly. He had no clue what to do. He had apologized like John had told him, that had worked for a moment until she became totally irrational once more. But if she was so furious, why was she still wearing the ring?

He saw her looking at it as her back was to him, before he took a deep breath and bravely climbed back into bed. Kylie shut her eyes once more and feigned sleep.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly once more as he tentatively put a hand on her him, waiting for her to hit him once more.

He just felt her tense, and then relax ever so slightly under his touch.

Touch? That was working?

He bravely scooted closer to her attempting to wrap both arms around her as he pressed his body into her back, nuzzling her hair.

_What in the hell have I turned into?_ Sherlock asked himself as he did this.

"I'm sorry," he said again as he felt Kylie try her best not to sigh.

They just stayed like that for a moment as Sherlock felt the tension in Kylie's body begin to leave.

She turned over in his arms so she was facing him, looking up into his eyes and bruised face.

"Why did you nearly kill Trent?" she asked searching his face.

Sherlock furrowed his eyebrows at her as he brushed her hair out of her face, "Those texts…"

"But he never touched me," Kylie said, "He never laid a finger on me, it was just some stupid fantasy."

"Did you read those texts?" He asked.

"Yeah, I did," Kylie said looking at him, "But why were you so hung up about it?"

"It was disrespectful," he muttered.

"Yeah, but it wasn't worth nearly killing the boy!"

Sherlock was silent.

"What are you so worried about?" Kylie asked searching his face, "Are you afraid that I would leave?"

Then it clicked for Kylie, "There's no case is there? You just want everyone to think that we are engaged."

Sherlock dropped his gaze, as Kylie knew she had nailed it, and shut her eyes.

"Are you serious?" She asked laughing slightly, "That's what this whole thing was about?"

Sherlock was silent.

"That's why you nearly shocked me to death with a ring and almost killed my student? Because you want to make sure that everyone knows that I am yours?" Kylie asked.

Sherlock nodded so slightly it was barely enough to see that he had nodded.

"First of all, I am my own person," Kylie told him pointedly, "You have my heart because I gave it to you, and I am not going anywhere anytime soon. But Sherlock, you are what I want. What do I have to tell you to make you believe that?"

Sherlock just looked up at her as she put a hand on his cheek.

"I'm yours, forever and always," she told him, "I know you don't do the whole marriage thing, and I'm okay with that, I just want to know that you feel the same, that you are committed. I'll wear the ring, I think it's a good symbol of that…. Unless you don't want me to.."

Sherlock grabbed her left hand and looked at how perfect the ring looked on her finger. He felt warmth begin to spread throughout his body once more.

"Wear the ring," he told her quietly.

Kylie smiled softly at him as he felt his heart skip a beat. Kylie leaned up to kiss him as she pressed him onto his back, climbing on top of him as she kissed him tenderly.

She felt Sherlock's arms wrap around her and hold her tightly to him before she pulled back and looked at him.

"I don't want to pressure you into anything," Kylie said as she ran a hand through his dark curls, "I get the marriage thing, and truthfully, I really don't care about having a wedding band and a white dress, I just want you."

Sherlock just studied her for a moment before she got her answer when his hand tangled in her hair and pulled her down for another kiss. The kiss grew hungry as all of their love, confusion, anger, happiness, and relief poured out. Kylie's hands began to wander up and down his naked torso, trying to get as close as she possibly could to him.

His hands snaked its way under her camisole. Kylie grew sick of the amount of clothing separating them, and sat up, stripping off her camisole and bending back down to kiss his neck as his hands explored the newly exposed skin.

Kylie nipped his neck, her frustration with him beginning to come out once more as his hands traced the familiar curves and softness of her body. His hands left a trail of Goosebumps down her back as she felt the electricity surge between them.

Kylie ground her hips into his as his hands came around to her front, carefully eloping around her breasts. A noise came out of the back of Sherlock's throat as she ground her hips again, kissing her way down his chest to his stomach. Her hand began to trail lower, finding his member as she grasped him firmly, making him let out a deep groan.

Kylie's lips smirked as her hands slid up, finding the waistband of his pants, pulling them down gently and tossing them off the bed before kissing her way down his hips, nipping his hip bones gently. Before she could move on to her main goal, she found herself on her back and being pinned there by Sherlock who kissed her hungrily.

Kylie smiled as her head spun, _someone liked that…_

All thoughts left her as he felt his hands everywhere, feeling all over until they went in between her legs. Kylie let out a long moan as pleasure overtook her body. That combined with his lips attacking her neck, Kylie had to dig her nails into his shoulders in order to keep herself down on the bed as his fingers played a delicious rhythm.

Dear Lord, this man understood the female nervous system.

Kylie flipped him once more before she couldn't take it anymore, looking him in the eye as she positioned herself over him. He sat up and held her to his chest as she sunk down onto him, groaning at the wonderful feeling as she grabbed onto his head with one hand and back with the other while burying her head into his neck. She wrapped her legs around him as he embraced her closely as they made love, getting rid of all of their frustration with each other, anger, confusion, and doubts once more. Making it up to one another and healing each other from the damage that they both knew they had caused.

**&^* ( )**

Kylie lay on his chest gazing at the ring on her finger with a happy smile. It wasn't an engagement ring, no it symbolized so much more to them than that. It wasn't your typical way to grow a relationship, but coming from Sherlock Holmes, it meant a whole lot more than a piece of paper and a white dress.

She felt his hand grab her left and bring it up to his lips to kiss the ring. Kylie just smiled and laid a kiss on his chest as she snuggled closer to him. He tightened his arms around her as they lay there contently.

They were lost in their own thought before Kylie looked up at him, "Did you really just give me the ring to ward off men from me?" she asked a smile playing on her lips.

Sherlock just looked down at her awkwardly, "it was… anexperiment," saying the last part so softly it was hardly audible.

"It was what?" Kylie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"An… experiment," he muttered.

"You experimented with me and a ring?" she asked her face emotionless as she sat up to look at him.

Sherlock just looked at her, "That's what I said, didn't you hear me?"

"You experimented…on me…?" Kylie asked.

"Yes…."

Kylie just looked at him for a moment and sighed once more before laying back down on his chest, "I figured you would do it someday."

Sherlock just stared at the ceiling in shock. John had freaked when he found that he had experimented on him with the supposed "hound" of Baskerville, Kylie had been upset with him about ring and beating up a kid who deserved it…yet she was fine with this?

He just glanced down at her as she lay there contently drawing small circles on his chest. He understood everyone he came across, but this woman was a mystery.

**Sorry for the weird "smut" scene…I'm terrible at writing those… but anyhow, meeting with mother soon!**

**Review?**


	92. Chapter 92

**So sorry this one took me so long to get out! I've been distracted by actually having time to have a social life and the Olympics! It's bad when men's waterpolo is terribly distracting as well as all of the indoor and beach volleyball!**

**Anyhows, a huge thanks to Jumperguy, Dianalee Holmes, Undapper thoughts, x-poisoncherry-X, thegirlwhoimagined, bored411, chalgallifreya221B613, TVDDamonSlover, Staaacielou, thegirlwiththebrowneyes, optimisticlivvy, Elleari, and Gwilwillith for their awesome reviews!  
**

**So, just to clarify…No, Sherlock and Kylie are NOT engaged…or Married…or will they ever be. Sorry to those who are dying for them to, but I just can't see Sherlock Holmes ever conforming with social norms. Kylie is okay with not going through a typical marriage and wearing that ring is a sign of commitment to them both.**

**Kylie gets her ring and Sherlock's commitment to her, while Sherlock gets Kylie as "his" and she wears the ring as "man repellant" as he considers it. I think it is fitting for the both of them, but that is just my opinion. **

**Anyhow, enough with the ranting… Here you go!**

Kylie sat at the table in the living room with her morning cup of coffee as she kicked off her pumps. She had just gotten back from teaching and even though she still had a large stack of exams to grade, all of her attention was currently on the Zodiac killer file. She remembered the conversation she had had with Sherlock.

The case was connected to Cahill… one of the largest and most volatile Irish drug Lords.

She remembered that NCIS and the FBI had a file on the bastard as she picked up her phone typing a few numbers.

"McGee," Kylie greeted as she opened the laptop the university gave her, "Is my father or Tony around? Good. I need you to do me a favor, without them knowing. Can you send me everything you have on Ardan Cahill? No, it just has to do with a case that we are working on. Thanks McGee, I owe you."

Kylie hung up and took another sip of the coffee and looked at the file as she waited for the information from McGee.

The markings in the bone were etched in acid, they knew that, and they were killed from a chemical overdose…not murdered, so why in the hell were their bodies put on display? It didn't make sense.

Kylie began looking at the photos once more, there had to be an inconsistency… there was just so much damage to the bone…

Her laptop chimed as McGee had sent the email. Kylie eagerly opened it up as she took another sip of her coffee. The life of Ardan Cahill was laid out in front of her.

"…Jesus…" Kylie muttered as she read through the file.

"What?" Sherlock asked as he strolled into the flat removing his scarf as he looked at her curiously.

"Nothing," Kylie said closing the laptop. She really didn't know why she was hiding this, but she had seen how hurt Sherlock had looked when he talked about his life with Cahill before, she didn't want to bring up those feelings once more, "Just working on the case."

Sherlock just looked at her as she got up with her coffee and walked over to him, kissing him hello before she softly ran a concerned hand over his bruised face.

"Your face…" She said with concern.

"Its fine," Sherlock dismissed as she gave him another kiss.

Sherlock just stood there as she walked past him into the kitchen to refill her coffee.

"What'd you find?" Kylie asked as she couldn't help but smile as she saw the ring glint on her hand.

"Found one of his runners but he was too drugged to know anything," Sherlock said as he watched her.

Kylie nodded and walked back into the living room, "What about Lola? Is she's still with Cahill isn't she?"

Sherlock stiffened, he didn't want Lola back in his life, he had pushed her away for a reason, "I don't know," he answered honestly.

"She obviously has issues," Kylie told him as she set her cup of coffee down and faced him, trailing a hand down his chest before looking up at him, "maybe you should reach out to her?"

Sherlock just looked at her, "No."

"Look, I don't know what happened between the two of you, but she needs help Sherlock," Kylie told him as she ran her hand up and down his chest.

Sherlock didn't touch her he just stood there staring as she rubbed his chest, "no, she's and adult, she is perfectly capable…"

"She's an addict Sherlock! I mean God, did you see her wrists? They had been cut open so many times, I don't even want to think about it," Kylie said as she reflected back onto her meetings with Lola. She knew she was in a dark place.

Kylie sighed as she looked at Sherlock's blank expression, "Okay, well I'm just saying, the girl could use some help."

Kylie walked away and sat back down at the table with her coffee and began looking at the file once more. Sherlock just stood there looking at her curiously, why in the hell did she …. _Care_… about Lola?

"I was thinking," Kylie said pulling Sherlock out of his train of thought, "Why on earth would Cahill etch the body if they died of an accidental poisoning? I mean its not as if he needed to make an example of them."

Sherlock cocked his head slightly as he sat down across from her and pulled the file towards him. That thought had crossed his mind, but he had gotten distracted by Kylie's student.

"They were beaten," Sherlock told her.

Kylie raised her eyebrow at him, "How'd you figure that? The bone damage could be from anything, its too damaged to tell."

"Is all you look at the bone?" Sherlock said as he dragged a hand over his face in annoyance.

Kylie just stared at him.

"The brick dust!"

"There's brick dust?" she asked looking at it.

Sherlock sighed and glared in annoyance and opened his mouth before Kylie snapped at him.

"You know it is impossible for me to read your mind and if you don't tell me about it, how in the hell am I supposed to know?"

Sherlock looked at her, "Its rather obvious…"

"Sherlock…" Kylie said with gritted teeth.

"There was trace in a few of the etchings," he told her, "I ran it through the spectrometer. It was brick dust with traces of stachybotrys."

"Stachybotrys?" Kylie said opening up her laptop and searching through the files that McGee had sent her, "That's a mold isn't it?"

Sherlock nodded, "A toxic mold. Its extremely common though."

"So it doesn't help," Kylie said slowly squinting at the screen, "Except it is… Cahill had a branch of his drug running shut down in East London due to the HSE unexpected inspection because of the mold found in the adjoining building."

Sherlock leapt up and went around to look over her shoulder placing a hand on either arm of her chair.

"Brilliant," he muttered before kissing her temple and grabbing his scarf as Kylie leapt up also, grabbing her shoes as she followed him out the door.

Sherlock reached the bottom of the stairs and turned around to find Kylie attempting to pull on her jacket.

"What are you doing?" he asked her.

Kylie raised her eyebrow, "Going with you. I'm not letting you go by yourself."

"No you're not," he told her, "Its too dangerous."

Kylie just looked at him, "Going to investigate a most likely abandoned house?"

"These are dangerous people."

"Sherlock, I dated the supposed most dangerous man in the world and world crime boss. I have faced serial killers, and mass murders…I think I can handle a drug Lord as well."

"No, stay here," Sherlock told her pointedly.

"I can handle myself," Kylie told him.

"I know," Sherlock said as he walked over to her putting a hand behind her head and pulling her towards him, kissing her forehead, "Stay here."

"I'm not letting you go alone, these people almost killed you," Kylie said looking at him with worry.

"Stay," he told her, "Trust me, this will be nothing compared to my mother tonight."

Kylie froze…. She had completely forgotten. He took this opportunity of her being stunned to walk out the door.

Crap, his mother, and drug Lords? Today was going to suck.

***&^%^**

Sherlock stepped out of the cab a few blocks away from the site that Kylie had found. He drew his coat around him a little tighter before beginning the short walk down the street to the building.

He was wary, this wasn't the best neighborhood as he put his hands in his pockets and strode towards the building as quickly as he could. He heard footsteps behind him and as he passed a group of men smoking in an alleyway, more footsteps joined behind him.

Sherlock spun around right before he reached the next alleyway, turning to face a group of about four unruly men.

"Can I help you?" Sherlock calmly asked as he analyzed each and every one of them.

They stopped, slightly surprised by his actions.

"What are you doing back here?" One of them slurred.

Sherlock raised an eyebrow at him.

"You used to be one of our boss's right hand men," Another one said.

"I'm just passing through," Sherlock told them as he stood his ground, the four men approaching him.

"You snoopin?" the bigger one of the group asked as he cracked his knuckles menacingly, "I remember you, and we don't like people who betray us. I'm sure Mr. Cahill would _love_ to see you again."

The group came forward, ready to fight as Sherlock analyzed each his plan of attack.

_All drug addicts. The big one prefers cocaine by the look of his nose, the rest heroine. Track marks in each arm. The two on the left; Kaposi Sarcoma. They both have full-blown AIDS. Shared needles apparently. The cocaine user; three broken ribs on the left side from a fight by the way he is walking from.…oh, the night prior…fresh wound…._

Sherlock just smiled at them, "Well, I wouldn't want to disappoint now would I?"

One of the men lunged at him and Sherlock stepped out the way quickly, just in time to block the blow from the large man, making contact with his broken ribs, causing him to yell out in pain and collapsed. Sherlock whirled round to see one of the men with AIDS come at him with a knife. He grabbed his wrist and twisted back, hearing a pop; the man dropped the knife in pain as Sherlock's fist made connection with his diaphragm, effectively knocking the wind out of him.

Sherlock turned to the last one; he was standing there holding a shaky gun on him. The man was obviously going through withdrawals as he held a gun on him twitching slightly.

"Don't move," the man said as the other lay on the ground moaning and trying to get up.

Sherlock just looked at him as he felt a gun in his side, the much larger man had gotten up and pulled a gun out of his pants and gasped as he got up, anger raging in his eyes, grabbing Sherlock by the jacket and slamming him hard against the wall.

The man had about seven inches on him and about 150 more pounds as he held him against the wall breathing heavily with anger as he pressed the gun into his forehead, "I'll take care of this one boys," he said before smiling, "I think I'll have fun with him first."

"Good," Sherlock said as he saw the other men walk back into the alley they came out of, "Get rid of your friends. I don't like being outnumbered, leaves for too much stupid in the room, not that you aren't fighting that battle on your own."

It took the man a moment to figure out what he had said before Sherlock rolled his eyes and brought his knee up to the man's broken ribs once more before he ducked, but unfortunately was not quick enough as the large man's fist connected with his ribcage.

Sherlock groaned and wheezed as he felt the air leave his body; his diaphragm froze and he couldn't breath. The man threw him up against the wall and pressed the gun into his torso, "You fucker, you are going to regret that," he said.

"No, you are you bastard," a female voice said from behind him, a boot coming to kick in between the mans legs in a hard blow, causing him to let go of the gun and Sherlock and keel over.

Sherlock then saw Kylie holding her glock, kicking him once more in the ribs, and then staring at him as he whimpered in pain. Sherlock watched her in a stunned silence…. Had she followed him? She just raised an eyebrow at the man standing there bent over before she reached out a few fingers and pressing them to his head and pushing him gently as he fell like a tree in the forest.

Kylie smiled before walking over and bending down pressing the end of her Glock in between his eyes.

"Now, you go run and tell your big scary boss that he'd better stay the hell away from us. I know he trashed our flat, and I'll look past that, but next time he threatens anyone I care about, he's going to have a whole shit-ton of pain coming down on his end. I know who he is, what he does, and where he keeps his drugs. If you or anyone harms a hair on the head of the man that you just had pressed against the wall, I will take his whole operation out from underneath him before you can even ask who did it. He's done with you lot, and done with Cahill. Don't try to bother us again," Kylie told him firmly, "Got it?"

The man stared at her before she raised her gun, not taking her eyes off of him and firing a round off in-between his legs, missing what he considered his most valuable parts by an inch.

"I believe I asked you a question," Kylie said calmly, "I was the best damn marksmen in my class, trust me, next time…I wont…"

"Okay," the man said as he lay still on the ground in fright.

"Good, now run along to Papa like a good little boy," Kylie said smiling at him wickedly as the man got up as quick as he could running down the street as fast as he could.

She smiled and stood up turning around to see a stunned Sherlock gaping at her.

"Told you I could handle myself," she told him as she walked past him and towards the building, "Who says you don't need me to save your sorry ass. You can't leave me at home ever again," she yelled back behind her.

Sherlock just watched her head towards the building in her regular clothes.

…. What the hell?

**Mother will be soon! **

**Review/**


	93. Chapter 93

**Sorry! I am totally slacking on updates guys! I apologize!**

**A HUGE Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I love you guys!**

**Thanks to: bored411, Gwilwillith, Jumperguy, Sherlockian2205, ChelGallifreya221B613, TVDDAmonSLover, X-poisoncherry-X, optimistic livvy, staaacielou, thegirlwihtthebrowneyes, thegirlwhoimagined, djbirdywantstofly, fanfreak4ever, and holmesinwheretheheartis for their reiviews. I had a crappy day yesterday (Men suck…I'm so over it. Sorry to all my male readers!) and you guys made it WAY better!  
**

**Enjoy!**

Sherlock essentially ran to catch up to Kylie as she strode towards the building in question.

"What in the hell was that?" He growled at her, furious for her putting herself in danger.

"Me saving your sorry ass," Kylie replied as she turned to him, "I'm sorry, did it look like something else to you?"

Sherlock just glared at her as Kylie grinned, "You didn't think I'd ever let you go by yourself," she asked, "no matter how frightening the thought of dinner with your mother is."

"I had it under control," he argued.

Kylie scoffed, "Like hell you did. Do you always think you have it under control when you have a gun pressed into you?"

"I'm _dating_ you now aren't I?" he asked.

Kylie glared at him before a smirk came over his face and Kylie began to smile.

"Smart-ass," Kylie muttered shoving him lightly as they rounded the steps to the building, causing Sherlock to chuckle.

How could he be mad at her smart-assed, playful nature? He usually would have been embarrassed that someone had to "save him" but the fact that she had kicked some guy's ass with her smart-assed nature and wit, sort of…roused something in him. He believed John would say it was, "turning him on" but Sherlock thought that was too voyeuristic of a term. All that he knew was that after seeing her kick that guy's ass and pull a gun along with unleashing her sharp tongue, he wanted to drag her into the bedroom.

"Now, lets go find this son of a bitch," Kylie said as they were stopped outside of the building before she flung open the door and strolled in, her gun down at her hip.

They slowly walked in before Sherlock took the gun from her, Kylie glaring at him before he walked in front of her, gun drawn to find the building abandoned. There were some fine powders and broken equipment left lying around as they entered the room.

Sherlock lowered the gun as Kylie walked forward to look at the powder on the table.

"Cocaine and heroine by the looks of it," she told him as he walked up beside her.

"Its low grade though," Sherlock told her as he picked some up and examined it closely, "They deal in crack now as well."

"How can you tell?" Kylie asked

"If you look at the grain, its inconsistent. They mixed it with talcum powder or baking soda."

Kylie just looked at the powder in his hand, "You just did pure cocaine right?" she asked quietly.

Sherlock dumped the drugs in his hand as if they had burned right through him.

"Yes," Sherlock replied before walking straight out of the building.

Kylie shut her eyes and sighed, she hadn't meant to upset him. She just wanted to be sure that he hadn't been huffing bathroom solvents as well as dangerous drugs.

Kylie hurried out after him, catching up to his long stride.

"Look, I'm sorry," she told him, "I know it's a part of your past, but I just want to know. I guess it is none of my business, but I want to help you bury this part of yourself by catching Cahill."

Sherlock spun around to face her, stopping in his tracks, "You are not going to try to take down Cahill. You may have just beaten his flunkies, but Ardan Cahill is not nearly as simple to take down. He's more dangerous than you think Kylie, more dangerous than Moriarty and Thomas combined. Stay out of it."

Kylie just looked at him, "I can handle myself," she told him as she brought a hand to his face, "And I just want you to be okay. Him out there worries me."

Sherlock just looked at her before leaning in to kiss her forehead before he grabbed her hand and began to lead her down the street and back towards Baker Street.

**^& #(* **

"Where in the hell are they?" Mary asked as she was cuddled into John's side on the couch at Baker Street.

"Out doing God knows what," John said as he rubbed Mary's neck with the hand of the arm he had around her.

Mary sighed before she slung her legs over the top of his so that she was turned sideways on the couch and could cuddle into her fiancé's body more.

John smiled and wrapped both of his arms around her. He just wanted this wedding to be over. They still had about five months left until the date, but he just wanted to be married to her. She was too good to be true.

Sherlock had came into his life when he needed him the most, but Mary, he didn't even realize he needed until she waltzed into his life. Now he needed this woman more than he needed oxygen.

He felt her hand start to play with the buttons on his shirt as her hand went up and down…and then a little too low.

Mary smiled at him, "We could christen this couch for them."

John smirked and raised an eyebrow at her, "This isn't my flat anymore. Plus, I thought that you wanted to wait until we were married."

Mary had been true to her word, they hadn't slept together in three months… and John felt as if he were dying…

"They are the reason you are giving a speech on Romanian Art next week to my fathers seminary. And rules are meant to be broken," Mary added with a wicked smile, "You just look so hot right now… I can't handle it anymore."

Before Mary knew what was happening, he was pushing her forward and laying her out on the couch before climbing on top of her.

Mary giggled as he kissed her, running a hand hungrily up and down her body. Pent up sexual tension pouring out from the both of them. John's jumper hit the floor along with his shirt as well as Mary's. John was just about to remove her bra when…

"OH DEAR GOD! Are you kidding me!" they heard Kylie say from the door as she gaped at them.

John and Mary broke apart to find a gaping and disgusted Kylie having a few of her fingers interlaced with an angry and shocked looking Sherlock.

"You two cant even wait until you get back to your own flat!" Kylie asked before glaring at Mary, "I thought you were holding off until the wedding?"

John glared at her murderously as he handed Mary back her shirt, causing Kylie to fight a smirk off her face.

"I couldn't help it," Mary told them, "He just looked too hot, I couldn't handle it."

John blushed furiously as Mary ran a hand up his bare torso while Kylie smirked and Sherlock rolled his eyes and tried not to gag.

"Well if the level of pathetic is going to increase, get off _my_ couch," Sherlock snapped as he walked over to the table.

"Okay, okay," John said as he rebuttoned his shirt, "Keep your panties on."

Sherlock just stopped and stared at John, utterly confused.

"Its an expression dear," Kylie said as she passed him and sat in one of the arm chairs.

Sherlock just looked more confused as he looked at Kylie, "It's a stupid expression. I mean I don't even wear…"

"OKAY!" John yelled, not really wanting Sherlock to complete that sentence as Kylie smirked, "Don't you have a dinner with his mother to get ready for?" he asked.

Kylie's face dropped, she had forgotten once more.

"Its two in the afternoon John," Mary said, "I think she has time to get ready."

"To see his mother?" John asked Mary, "They have to be ready by four to go to her home…"

Sherlock's head snapped round, as did Kylie's. Neither had known that fact…or really bothered to find out…

"We're what…?" Kylie asked as she paled further.

"Mycroft is sending a car at four to pick the two of you up and take you to her residence," john said with a smile.

Sherlock huffed angrily as he texted his brother, trying to think of anything that could get him out of this damn dinner from hell.

"We couldn't meet in a neutral location?" Kylie groaned.

"Like what Geneva Switzerland?" Mary joked.

"Though Mycroft told me it was going to be close to a black tie dinner…" John said knowingly.

Kylie nearly died on the spot, "WHAT! I actually have to get READY?"

John smirked, "Well, I think anything would be better than what she saw you in before…"

Mary smacked John lightly on the chest and got up, and pulled Kylie up and into the bathroom, "Lets get you showered, I'll raid your closet. Ready break."

Kylie went into the bathroom as Mary ran up towards John's old room to look through the closet before John looked at Sherlock typing with frustration on his phone.

"You're not getting out of this," john said with a raised eyebrow, "Mycroft as essentially ensured it."

Sherlock just threw his phone down in frustration and crossed his arms like a pouting three year old.

"Yeah," John said as he opened the paper, "Because pouting solves everything."

**&^&* #**

"Put on the tie Sherlock," John badgered.

"No."

"Mummy will throw a fit," Mycroft told him, "Do it out of respect."

"Who says I have any?"

John groaned and rubbed his temples; he could feel a massive headache from the fact that his best friend had transformed into a giant three year old as he fought him and Mycroft every inch of the way to get him into a new suit and now trying to get him in a tie.

"Sherlock, just do it. It's your mother, just grin and bear it," John pleaded with him.

"No," Sherlock said as he just crossed his arms and sat there sternly.

"What are you lot arguing about?" Mary said as she came down the stairs from John's room along with an extremely nervous looking Kylie.

Sherlock felt his breath catch in his throat at the sight of her. She looked stunning. Mary had dressed her in a simple black sleeveless black dress that hugged her body in the most fantastic way. It was backless as her hair had been curled and swept to the side, a little more makeup added to her usual miniscule amount.

Sherlock had forgotten about everyone around him. He heard noises but didn't comprehend them as he just stared at Kylie. She fidgeted with the ring on her finger nervously as Mycroft frowned.

"Is that grandmother ring?"

Sherlock snapped back into the real world and found that all eyes were on him.

"Yes," Sherlock said as he stood up and snatched the tie from John before standing up and putting it on.

"Are you two…"? Mycroft asked awkwardly, not used to asking these types of questions.

"No," Kylie told him looking him in the eye.

"It's a commitment ring," Mary said with a smile as she sat next to John.

Kylie glared at her best friend as Mycroft stared blankly.

"A commitment ring," Mycroft asked once more.

"Yes, now will you shut up?" Sherlock snapped as he walked over to Kylie, putting an arm around her and leading her down the stairs as he grabbed both of their jackets.

Mycroft turned, slightly stunned towards John and Mary, who were equally stunned.

"Did he just…?" John began.

"Admit that it more than a piece of jewelry?" Mary finished smirking wildly.

Mycroft stared after them, "Well, it seems as if Mother is going to have a bit of a shock tonight, as well as Miss Gibbs."

**%^&*& &#*(**

Once they were outside, Sherlock helped her put on her jacket. Kylie blushed and thanked him as he put on his own, never once taking his eyes off of her.

"What?" She asked quietly.

"You look… beautiful," he told her quietly.

Kylie smiled at him as she straightened his tie, "Thank you." She said before hugging him.

He put his arms around her and held her close as he kissed her hair. They only sprung apart when they heard Mycroft come out onto the street as well.

"Ready?" he asked politely as he opened the door for Kylie.

Kylie smiled nervously as she got in, "As ready as I'll ever be."

**Momma drama next time!**

**Review?**


	94. Chapter 94

**Alright guys! Here is part one of the dinner. There I had to split it up because it would take me days to write everything that I wanted to in this part. **

**A HUGE thanks to optimistic Livvy, Elleari (thanks dear! And I have, trust me…its just frustration and annoyance that I feel right now!), oreal770, djbirdywantstofly, my guest reviewer, kiara d'Arc Erzsebth, TVDDamonSLOver, staaacielou, Gwilwillith, bored411, and fanfreak4ever for their amazing reviews!**

**Here's part one!**

Kylie fidgeted in the car as she sat next to Sherlock, who was busy glaring at Mycroft who sat across from them. She looked out the window nervously as she felt for Sherlock's hand on the seat next to her. Grabbing it tightly and seeking some comfort in his touch.

Upon feeling her hand on his, Sherlock looked towards Kylie to see her playing with the hem of her dress while she bit her lip and looked out the window at the passing countryside.

She really looked incredibly beautiful at the moment as they drove through the countryside towards his childhood home. She was nervous, he could tell; though he really didn't know why. Sure, his mother was a pain in the ass, but she had been through a lot worse this morning…well, actually, this dinner maybe worse.

He stroked his thumb over her hand before catching the ring on her finger. He felt warmth spread through him as he glanced down at the ring on her hand. It looked beautiful on her, as if it were made for her. He had no idea how a piece of jewelry made him feel…giddy…? What in the hell? John was right, he really was pathetic….

The car ride was silent as they were all lost in their own thoughts, watching the countryside pass by.

Suddenly the car turned down a gravel driveway and a massively elegant brick home came into view. Kylie stared in amazement at house as Sherlock groaned.

"You grew up…here?" Kylie asked in shock.

"Unfortunately," Sherlock muttered with distain, earning a look from Mycroft.

Kylie gaped at the house; it looked as if the home had come right out of a storybook. It was a mansion of some sort, elegantly carved columns out front as Ivy and stone laced the perimeter.

Kylie knew that Sherlock had grown up in a "well-off" household, but she had no clue that he had grown up in one of the most elegant mansions she had ever seen.

The car stopped in front of the house as the door was opened, Mycroft stepping out first before Sherlock who offered his hand to Kylie, helping her out of the car.

Mycroft smiled at them before walking up the steps and quickly into the manor. Sherlock clenched his jaw and took Kylie's hand, dragging her with him into the grand foyer of the manor.

Kylie couldn't help but gape around at the home. Her heels clacked on the well-polished granite flooring as she looked up at the grand staircase. It was intricately carved and well polished as well.

_God, its like this house is right out of a magazine._

Kylie felt immediately out of her comfort zone. She had grown up middle class, and that's how her and Sherlock lived their lives; but this…this was insane. Kylie had never felt so tacky and out of place just in the foyer of the home.

Sherlock removed his coat before looking at her and helping her with hers, leaving her feeling exposed and vulnerable in her black dress.

She just clung tighter to Sherlock's hand and took a step closer to him, taking comfort in his presence. It was taking everything in her power not to turn and run out of the manor.

Sherlock followed Mycroft, leading them down a hallway leading them into a large sitting area where a long, lean leg was sticking out from the side of an armchair, the back blocking the view of who was sitting in it.

Mycroft smiled, "Hello Mother," he greeted.

The leg disappeared for a moment as the same woman with similar features to that of Sherlock stood up with a glass of wine in her long spidery hand. Mrs. Holmes was dressed elegantly in a green gown with her perfectly curled hair piled on her head in an elegant bun.

"Mycroft sweetie," Mrs. Holmes cooed as she kissed her eldest son on the cheek before turning to her youngest, "Sherlock," she said with a fake sweetness.

"Mother," Sherlock gritted out with a smile. Kylie knew this was painful for him, so she just squeezed his hand, the fact that their hands were clasped not going unmissed by his mother.

"Miss Gibbs, how lovely to see you in more clothing," she told her as she looked Kylie up and down, "Not that it is that much more…"

Kylie just forced a smile on her face, "Thank you, you look lovely as well."

_Don't play games Kylie, just be nice…_

Mrs. Holmes gave her an extremely fake smile as she kissed her cheek and grabbed her hands. Mrs. Holmes stiffened and pulled back when she felt the metal and stones of the ring on Kylie's left hand. She pulled up her hand to examine it.

"Is this your grandmother's ring?" Mrs. Holmes asked Sherlock curtly before covering it up with a smile once more.

"Yes," Sherlock replied taking a step closer to Kylie, standing as straight as he could.

"Why is she wearing it?" Mrs. Holmes asked in cold politeness, "on her left hand?"

Kylie gulped; this could not get any worse.

"We aren't…" Kylie began before Sherlock cut her off.

"Because I asked her to," he replied.

Mrs. Holmes just gave Sherlock a stare, extremely similar to his own before smiling fakely at Kylie and letting go of her hand, "We'll discuss this later," she told Sherlock before grabbing her glass of wine once more and walking towards the dining room.

Mycroft smirked and then followed before Kylie let out a breath that she was holding. She looked sadly down at the ring before slipping it off and handing it back to Sherlock.

"Here," she told him as she pressed it into his palm, "This belongs to your family and they obviously don't want me wearing it."

Sherlock just looked at her, slightly hurt and confused, "Why should I care what my family thinks?"

"Because they are your family," Kylie said trying to hide the tears in her eyes. She had no idea why she wanted to cry. It was a stupid piece of jewelry… one that didn't belong to her.

"I'm going to find the washroom," Kylie muttered before wandering down the hallway.

Sherlock just watched her go in confusion. He didn't understand what was going on. He looked at the ring in his hand before looking back at the corridor that Kylie had just disappeared down.

Why couldn't he figure this woman out?

**^*&# ()**

Kylie wiped a stray tear that fell as she just kept walking, and walking down the corridor. She passed a grand looking room to her right and stopped before back tracking and peering into the room. She knew she shouldn't be doing this, but she couldn't help it.

She walked into what looked to be a large study, the room smelled of rich mahogany as she saw stacks and stacks of books. Kylie ran her hand over the books skimming the titles of the most notable psychologists. Then Kylie saw it…. The massive portrait that hung on the right side of the desk. A painting of a man stared back at her. He looked like a definite mix between Mycroft and Sherlock. Both boys had gotten traits from who Kylie assumed was their father. Neither however had gotten the trait of the cold analytical stare.

….Kylie knew who this man was…. Not just because of Sherlock and Mycroft, she had studied this man's life work in school.

Dr. Edmund Holmes; world famous psychiatrist.

Kylie had had a hunch that Sherlock was related, but she didn't know that he was the son of a bitch who had beaten the man she loved to a pulp when he was a boy.

"Bastard," Kylie told the painting before turning on her heel and proceeding down the corridor. She had no idea how on earth someone could use a young boy as a punching bag. She could just see a young wiry Sherlock with his mop of dark curls trying to play and be curious, asking questions; and instead of love, he received beatings.

Kylie felt her heart begin to tear at the very thought of anyone, let alone her Sherlock be treated like that when they were so young.

Kylie reached the foyer again. She needed to find the washroom. She looked around her before climbing the staircase. Kylie walked to the left and wandered down the hall until she saw one of the most elegant bedrooms she had ever seen.

The entire bed was made of silk as the bedframe itself was intricately carved wood. Framed pictures lay on the granite vanity next to poofs and expensive looking bottles.

This had to be Mrs. Holmes' bedroom. If she remembered correctly, Dr. Edmund Holmes had passed away right after Kylie graduated with her PhD. Mrs. Holmes lived in this mansion alone.

Kylie looked around before walking further into the room and looking at the pictures. She was snooping but she was dying to see a picture of a young Sherlock.

Kylie bent down to look at the frames. It was odd, not a single person in anyone of the frames was smiling; they were all cold and distant. One was Mr. and Mrs. Holmes' wedding photo. Another was of Mycroft at his graduation; the next was Mycroft as a boy. Kylie frowned, there were none of Sherlock…. it was as if he didn't exist…

Kylie shut her eyes in pain. How could anyone live like this? She knew that his mother favored Mycroft, but what parent just acts as if that son didn't even exist?

Kylie felt tears running down her face once more. She just hurt, hurt for Sherlock. This is how he had grown up. How on earth was he such a damn good man when he was forced to grow up in an unloving home like this?

Kylie turned and walked out of the room as she wiped her eyes, running full on into a solid body.

Kylie looked up to see Sherlock steadying her.

"Its not polite to snoop," He told her.

Kylie just looked at him, her heart breaking as she knew what he had grown up with before she flung her arms around him, trying to get as close as she possibly could to him.

Sherlock looked down at her with confusion before slowly wrapping his arms around her as well.

"I'm so sorry," She whispered into his neck.

"For what?" Sherlock asked utterly confused.

"That you had to grow up here," Kylie told him, "God, no wonder you hate Witham so much. Psychology reminds you of that bastard you were forced to call your father."

Sherlock stiffened and Kylie pulled back, looking at him.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, "I figured it out, I found his study and the portrait…. I studied his work in school."

Sherlock just stared blankly into space.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snooped…it just, breaks my heart," she said sadly.

Sherlock's head snapped towards her in confusion, "Why?"

Kylie's eyebrows shot into her hairline, "Why does it break my heart?" she gaped. Did he really not understand? "Because I love you, I love you so much it hurts. And for someone to abuse and neglect someone so amazing and wonderful as you."

Sherlock just looked at her with curiosity. Kylie didn't have a clue what was going through his head.

Kylie leaned up and pressed her lips against his tenderly before Sherlock's arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close. The kiss slowed to a stop as she felt and barely heard Sherlock breath, "I love you."

Kylie smiled, he rarely told her in words how he felt, but each time he did she felt ecstatic. She just smiled and dropped her heard down to nuzzle his neck and cuddle closer to him as he kissed her hair. They just stood there for a moment before Sherlock pulled back and grabbed her left hand, placing the ring back on it.

"Wear it," he told her as she tried to argue once more.

Kylie just smiled and kissed him once more before she pulled back with a smile on her face.

"Can I see your childhood bedroom?"

"No," he told her.

"Please?" Kylie begged with a smile.

"No, mother is already wondering what happened to us." Sherlock told her as he dragged her by the hand towards the staircase.

"Shame, I wanted to do wicked things to you in that bedroom," Kylie said smirking as she bit her lip.

Sherlock just looked at her as they descended the staircase, "You do know that witchcraft is not real."

Kylie shut her eyes and laughed, "You have no idea when I am trying to come on to you do you?"

Sherlock just looked at her in confusion.

"When I am trying to get off…."

Kylie saw Mrs. Holmes and Mycroft standing to the side out of the corner of her eye, "…to a great start to your day. And that is why breakfast is so important." She quickly covered as Sherlock looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

"You two done?" Mycroft asked, "Dinner is ready."

Mrs. Holmes saw the ring still on Kylie's finger and flashed her a cold and fake smile before waltzing into the dining room.

Kylie took a deep breath as she walked into the lion's den with Sherlock.

**Dinner next chapter! **

**Review?**


	95. Chapter 95

**Thanks so much for all of the reviews! Seriously, I can't believe how many I have! Its absurd! I have adored every single one of them, both good and bad. All of your feedback has helped me to make this story what it is right now, and I know I still have room to grow, so all feedback is appreciated!  
**

**A huge thanks to thegirlwhoimagined, thegirlwiththebrowneyes, aspiringinstrumentalist (Thanks so much! I really appreciate it! And hahaha oh summer homework…I remember that from high school…good times…) skywrites, bored411, fanfreak4ever, TVDamonSLover, gwilwillith, Chelgalllifreya221B (I hope you have a good trip!), optimistic livvy (idk, because he's a sociopath? I think it maybe because he has always shown signs of "brokenness" due to his odd behavior and drug abuse, and abuse just explains it in a tidy little box?), and dianalee Holmes (I will try! I'm super busy right now! I just started season once more so I have no life anymore… But I will try!) for their Amazing reviews!  
**

**Here's the much anticipated dinner! I hope you guys enjoy it as I have dragged it out for so long. I hope it meets your expectations!**

Kylie was lead into the dining room by Sherlock's hand on the bare skin of her lower back revealed by the dress. Kylie fought every bone in her body that was telling her to run the other way; she did not want to go in that room. Especially after what she had seen in the house, she was going to have to bite her tongue…. a lot….

Kylie was lead into most likely the most extraordinary dining room she had ever seen. In fact, it wasn't even a room, it was a hall. The marble floor was highly polished as a long wooden table that looked as if it had come out of Camelot sat in the center. A large chandelier sparkled above the magnificent room as fine China lined the table.

Mrs. Holmes stood at the far end as Mycroft sat at the other. Sherlock nudged her to one side of the long table as she was supposed to sit in the middle across from Sherlock.

"Sherlock," Mrs. Holmes condoned, "Didn't I teach you any manners?"

Kylie looked at her thoroughly confused as she and Sherlock were both walking towards their seats on the opposite sides of the table.

Sherlock shut his eyes in pure anger and gritted his teeth as his mother stood by her chair expectantly.

Sherlock walked over and pulled the chair out for his mother and she sat down smiling, "thank you dear."

Kylie just stood there utterly confused…this was by far the strangest thing she had ever seen. She had studied family traditions in her anthropology classes and from an anthropological standpoint, this was fascinating, but not when she was experiencing this first hand from the family of the man she loved.

Sherlock began walking towards his seat when his mother cleared her throat and Sherlock glared at the wall and walked around the mile long table as Kylie pulled her chair out. Kylie watched him stunned, what on earth was going on?

"Sherlock, what…?" Kylie whispered to him as he took the chair from her and pulled it out.

"Sit," he told her in a soft whisper.

Kylie blushed; his mother was expecting him to pull the chair out for each of the women. Kylie hated this, sure he did it for her every now and then, but she was perfectly capable of pulling out a chair herself.

"Thank you," She whispered to him as he walked back around the table to his seat as Mycroft tried his best not to laugh at his little brother's misery.

Sherlock sat down as the door opened and four men in suits walked out setting an appetizer on each of their plates.

_Dear God…they have butlers?_

Kylie thanked the man timidly as she felt so unbelievably out of place. She looked around, wishing she was sitting next to Sherlock, hell, she'd even love to sit next to Mycroft right now.

This was by far the strangest dinner she had ever been at. There was seriously about ten feet between every one at the table. She was used to family dinners in close quarters but here….

"So Miss Gibbs," Mrs. Holmes practically had to yell as they were sitting so far apart, while Kylie timidly picked up her fork and began eating what was on her plate, though she had literally no idea what it was, "I hear that you are a scientist of some sort," she asked with a cold smile.

Kylie swallowed and made eye contact with Sherlock before she continued, "Uh, yes. I am a forensic Anthropologist."

"What does a forensic anthropologist do?" Mrs. Holmes asked her.

Kylie began to relax slightly, she could do with small talk, "I work with skeletal remains and am able to help identify the victim as well as their cause of death and aid in the capture and conviction of the killer."

"So you work with dead things," Mrs. Holmes said with distaste.

_Okay, so much for being comfortable…._

"I guess you could say that," Kylie said with a gritted smile.

"It doesn't surprise me that my youngest son would be with someone like you," Mrs. Holmes said as she at her appetizer with dainty hands, "though I didn't expect you to be a strumpet."

_Strumpet? Really….?_

Sherlock glared at his mother as she smiled at him.

"What?" she asked with a sweet smile, "Its true dear. She is American"

"I'm sorry," Kylie said as anger boiled through her, "What does where I grew up have to do with anything?"

Mrs. Holmes turned to her as Sherlock looked at her blankly, trying to tell her to drop it silently.

"Everything," Mrs. Holmes told her, "American's are ignorant and unworthy of British entitlement."

"So because I grew up in another country, you believe that I am unworthy to date your son?" Kylie asked with a smile through gritted teeth.

"Essentially yes," She replied before turning to Sherlock, "Really dear she is quite slow."

"She's not," Sherlock gritted.

"Miss Gibbs is quite clever mother," Mycroft chimed in. Kylie gave him a look of thanks.

"Well apparently you two aren't Courting anymore," Mrs. Holmes said as the next course arrived, making sure to look pointedly at the ring that adorned Kylie's finger.

_Courting? Am I in Downton Abbey?_

"We aren't engaged," Kylie told her politely, "This ring is something between your son and I. I understand that it is a heirloom and I did try to give it back, but from what I understand, it was given to Sherlock and he can therefore give it to whomever he likes."

Mrs. Holmes stared at her with a smile as Kylie smiled and sipped her soup, gaining confidence in the situation, as she was too angry to care what his mother thought anymore.

This woman was a crazy bitch and needed to be put in her place.

"Why your left hand though?" Mrs. Holmes asked pointedly.

"He asked me to," Kylie countered.

"But why?"

"That's between Sherlock and I. It doesn't concern you."

"He's my son, I believe it does."

"I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that you cared."

Everyone at the table froze. Mycroft's cool exterior began to melt as he looked at Kylie with wide eyes. Sherlock just sat there frozen.

"Excuse me?" Mrs. Holmes said in a very different tone.

"I said, I wasn't aware that you cared about Sherlock," Kylie replied as she never took her eyes off of Mrs. Holmes, "I am well aware that you care very much for Mycroft and your late husband, and as touching as that is, I find it hard to believe that you care for Sherlock. I believe you do deep down, but in my own 'American' opinion I think that you should start showing it a little more if you would like to have a better relationship with your son."

_Holy crap…. did I just say that out loud? Kylie, what are you doing? This isn't you!_

Mrs. Holmes narrowed her eyes at Kylie and smiled, "I wasn't aware that harlots knew how to care."

_Again with the whore comments?_

"Kylie, why don't you tell us about the case you two are working on?" Mycroft asked trying to change the topic as Sherlock just stared at Kylie in amazement.

"What makes you think that I am a harlot?" Kylie asked with a gritted smile, completely ignoring Mycroft, "That I am American?"

"You do catch on quick," Mrs. Holmes told her, "That and the fact that you wear my son's clothes and little clothing otherwise to dinner parties."

"I'm sorry your visit to Baker Street was unannounced and what happens between us as two consenting adults is none of your business," Kylie replied.

_I just admitted that we are sleeping together…to his mother…._

"Out of wedlock," Mrs. Holmes told her.

"Well, I think that is strange since you were four months pregnant with Mycroft when you were married," Kylie said as the third course arrived.

Tension multiplied in the room as Mrs. Holmes' smile was wiped off her face.

"You have no…"

"Wedding photo, and based on Mycroft's age and the style and era of the wedding dress and tuxedo that your husband was wearing tells me that it was early sixties which would give you around Mycroft's age. That plus the fact that you had a slight rash on your neck common with pregnancy that occurs around the beginning of the second trimester and your ankles were swollen. Lymphedema is commonly also associated with pregnancy around the fourth month. But I could be wrong, I learned that all from my _American _education."

_Kylie Gibbs, who are you?_

Sherlock smirked into his salad as Mrs. Holmes tried her best not to gape.

"You have no right…" Mrs. Holmes began before Kylie's anger over flowed.

"To what?" Kylie asked, "Put you in your place?"

"This is my home, Sherlock's home…"

"You can call it whatever you like, but I would never consider this a 'home' for Sherlock. You call getting the crap beat out of you every day by your father while your mother turned the other way and your older brother was trapped trying to protect you from him a home? Or how your mother only has pictures of your brother, while it looks as if you are forgotten a home?" Kylie said angrily.

"Kylie…" Sherlock said quietly trying to get her to stop. He did not want to have this conversation.

"Because I will tell you," Kylie continued, "I am shocked at how such an amazingly brilliant and wonderful man came from the two of you. I wont ever meet Dr. Edmund Holmes, but be glad I wont, because he certainly would be dead if I did ever meet him. Did you even know that because of your son, that the crime rate in London has dropped ten fold? He has saved countless lives and you don't even bother to find that out. Your son is by far the most wonderful man I have ever met and you just shove him to the side like. Like…." Kylie looked around her anger clouding her mind, "Like…I don't know what, but you get what I am saying!"

"I don't know how in the hell your children turned out the way they did, but I can tell you that they are a hell of a lot better than you."

Mrs. Holmes' face was bright red with anger as Kylie sat there trying not to continue to give her a piece of her mind.

"Maybe you should start seeing how great of children you have rather than criticizing every move they make while you sit upon your throne judging everyone around you," Kylie said as she got up, throwing her napkin on the table.

The servants came out and were staring at Kylie as if she had lost her mind.

"I think I can show myself out," Kylie said before turning to Mycroft, "Mycroft," she said nodding towards him before turning to the servants, "Dinner was fabulous, my compliments to the chef."

"Crazy bitch," Kylie said nodding towards Mrs. Holmes, "I bid you good day."

_Did I just come from Downton abbey?_

And with that, Kylie turned on her heel and walked out of the room, leaving seven very stunned people behind her.

Sherlock smirked then stood up as well, "Mother," he said before he began to walk out of the room.

"Sherlock don't you dare associate yourself with that…that…WOMAN," his mother said as she lost all composure.

Sherlock turned and smiled at her, "I don't believe you can control me mother."

"Do you actually have feelings for that…thing?" she growled.

"I don't believe that's any concern of yours," Sherlock told her calmly as he continued to walk out.

"I didn't know you could feel Sherlock," Mrs. Holmes growled at her sociopathic son.

Sherlock just paused for a moment before continuing walking out of his mother's life once more.

**%^&* **

Sherlock found Kylie in the foyer with her hands on her hips and her head dropped in worry as she tried to compose herself. Sherlock didn't know why he had just stopped and was staring at her, intently looking at the way her dress hugged her body and the small yet delicately defined muscles of her back and shoulders.

He felt his blood turn in his veins and begin rushing to another part of his body. He shook his head, what was she doing to him? A year and a half ago, he would have shot himself for thinking like this, well; truthfully these thoughts never would have crossed his mind. But now here he stood, appreciating how stunning a dress looked on a woman. Not just any woman, the same woman who claimed herself as his. The same woman who wore a ring on her finger because he asked her to, claiming her as his.

"Dammit," Kylie muttered before spinning around suddenly and stopping as she saw him.

"Oh," she said slightly taken aback by his presence before she ran a hand up and down one of her arms, "look, I don't know what came over me back there, but I am so sorry for completely blowing up…."

Kylie was cut off by Sherlock's lips on hers. Sherlock didn't even know how he had gotten all the way over to her, he didn't remember walking. Around Kylie, he lost all control of his body, and as annoying as it was, he weirdly didn't mind the woman currently in his arms acting as a magnet.

Kylie pulled back and looked at him before he grabbed their jackets and handed Kylie hers before nudging her out the door.

"You aren't….mad?" Kylie asked as she just looked at him, stunned.

"Why would I be?" he asked as he walked over to the car that Mycroft had gotten them and opened the door for Kylie, climbing in afterwards.

"Because I literally just insulted and embarrassed your mother and acted like a complete buffoon as I walked out on a simple dinner where all I had to do was take your mothers insults and put a smile on my face."

Sherlock just shrugged, "Yes, but it was more interesting this way."

Kylie just gaped at him before a smile overtook her face and she began to laugh. Sherlock began to chuckle with her before she scooted closer and leaned her head on his shoulder. Sherlock just laid a kiss on the top of her head as his hand rested on her knee as they headed back to London.

**I hope it was everything you guys wanted!  
**

**Review?**


	96. Chapter 96

**My deepest apologies this took me so long to get up! I have been swamped and exhausted from work and tryouts. So, I apologize!  
**

**A huge thanks to the people who reviewed! You lot are AMAZING! I am so glad that you all enjoyed Kylie going off on Mrs. Holmes!**

**Here's the next one! Enjoy!**

Kylie took Sherlock's hand as he helped her out of the dark car and onto the sidewalk of Baker Street. Night had fallen across London as the cool air blew across her skin. She turned to see that Sherlock hadn't moved as the car drove off, he was just staring at her intently.

Kylie raised an eyebrow at him.

"You okay?" she asked him.

He just kept staring and nodded his head as he took a step towards her. A smile played on Kylie's face until she saw his pupils as they analyzed her intently gazing down at her dress that was being exposed by her open coat.

Her face dropped into one of shock. He wanted her… bad….

A smile came over her face once more, she was going to drive him nuts.

Sherlock took another step towards her until they were almost touching, before Kylie shrugged, "Okay then," she said before she turned and walked to the steps of their flat as Sherlock stood there gazing at her with a slight confusion.

Kylie glanced back at him before trying to fish for her key, only to realize that she hadn't brought one.

"Are you going to open the door then?" Kylie asked.

Sherlock just stared at her before striding over to the door and pulling out his keys. Kylie scooted closer to him as she faced him, staring at him intently as her chest brushed ever so slightly against his. She just looked up at him as he stared at her, opening the door before facing her squarely.

His pupils were blown, breathing was shallowed as he stared at her, shoving the door open, never taking his eyes off hers. Neither of them moved, they just stood there looking at each other, waiting for the other to make a move.

Sherlock's eyes dropped to her lips as he bent down to capture her lips, only to be hit in the face by her hair as she turned on her heel and strode into 221B, hanging her coat as he looked at her with confusion once more.

He saw Kylie smiled to herself as that dress was exposed once more. Sherlock felt something stir inside of him as he watched the way that the dress accented her body as she climbed the stairs to their flat, watching the way her muscles gracefully moved.

She seemed pleased with herself. What in the hell was going on? Was this a game? He had seen her pupils dilate as she looked at him. She was aroused he could tell from the physiological reactions. And based on that dress, how she had beaten up that drug runner, not to mention the way she had deduced his mother, he was too.

Kylie couldn't help but laugh to herself as she reached the door hearing Sherlock sprint up behind her. She made to grab for the handle, but he was too quick. He pressed his body into her back and grabbed both of her hands, preventing her from grabbing the doorknob.

"What are you doing?" Sherlock asked as he breathed into her ear, making her hormones go crazy as her desire increased even more.

"Trying to walk into our flat," Kylie said with a grin.

Before she could even move, Sherlock had her turned around facing him as he backed her into the door, pressing his body into hers.

"No," Sherlock told her, as he leaned closer, "you're not."

Kylie smiled as his lips met hers with fervency. God, she really had played with his mind a little too much. There was no mistake, Sherlock Holmes was turned on. It seemed he didn't take too well to being teased.

Kylie couldn't withhold the moan as he nipped her neck lightly. She couldn't take it anymore, she wanted him….now…

Her arms went around him as she yanked his head up to meet her hungry lips once more. His hand groped around for the knob before he pushed the door open and gently pushed her into the flat, closing the door behind them as she kissed him.

Kylie's back met the wall once more as Sherlock's lips dropped down to her neck once more. Kylie's eyes fluttered closed as she sighed, her hands working on removing his blazer.

"Dirty Whore," someone spat.

Kylie froze as Sherlock stiffened.

"Now Lola," a heavily accented male voice said, "Don't treat them that way…well, quite yet we wont anyways."

Kylie felt every muscle in Sherlock's body tense as he slowly straightened as he recognized the voices behind them. Kylie caught a glance of his face; he was pale as he turned around, allowing Kylie to see who was standing in their flat.

Lola was standing near one of the armchairs, her usual shaking and twitching occurring, as she looked "cracked" out of her mind. In the armchair she was standing next to sat an older man, but not just any older man. Kylie recognized him all too well as he haunted dreams she had about losing Sherlock since the day she had looked behind the periodic table.

Ardan Cahill: drug lord sat in the chair as he smirked at them wildly as he sat in the armchair like a throne.

"Hello Sherlock," he said in his heavy Irish accent, "pretty girl you've got yourself there."

Sherlock turned around and tried to shove Kylie behind him as to protect her from Cahill's stare.

Sherlock just stared as Kylie felt anger towards the man in the armchair. Kylie slipped out of Sherlock's hold and walked around beside him.

"Dirty whore. He needs me," Lola spat at Kylie.

_Jesus, this woman needed help…_

"Not as dirty as a whore as you," Cahill snapped at Lola making her shrink immediately before he turned back and smiled at Kylie and Sherlock.

"I don't believe we have met," he said to Kylie as he got up and walked forward, "Ardan Cahill," he said with his hand extended.

"Don't you dare touch her," Sherlock growled at him as he tried to shove Kylie behind him once more, causing Cahill to give him a strange look.

"I never thought I'd see you so protective of someone as you were with Lola here," Cahill told him, "I was just trying to introduce myself to this lovely woman you associate yourself with. I'm guessing fiancé?" he said looking at the ring on her finger.

"I know who you are," Kylie said as her mind raced. She hadn't even heard the comment about the ring, as she was lost in her thoughts about the comment of Lola. Had they been closer than Sherlock was letting on? He was drugged all the time. Oh God, had they… was she not his "first". Had they actually had a relationship before?

_Kylie, stop it. You have other things to worry about as well as they fact that this was the same damn thing that broke you two up the first time._

"Why are you here Cahill?" Sherlock asked, completely ignoring the statement about the ring. He didn't have a title for Kylie and he didn't think they needed one; he just knew it wasn't fiancé.

Cahill smiled at him, "I believe you have something of mine Sherlock. I didn't realize you had it until now. I didn't think you were that STUPID to take something from me. I own you, I still do. You think you are out, but you are wrong. You are so, so, very wrong."

Anger swelled up in Kylie as she saw the slight expression on Sherlock's face. This bastard had ruled Sherlock's life for years, and exposed him to some of the worst things he had ever seen, not to mention encouraged his habit.

"Listen you son of a bitch," Kylie spat as she tried to walk forward before Sherlock grabbed her.

"Kylie stop it," he said quietly but sternly.

"I already showed those "henchmen" of yours what we can do, and they were supposed to give you a message. Apparently they didn't because you are here, so I'll give it to you…"

"Kylie," Sherlock said louder as he still tried to shove her behind him and get her to shut up.

"Stay away from him. I swear to GOD if you touch a hair on his head, I will make you hurt so bad, you will wish you were already burning in hell for what you did…"

Cahill just stood there looking very amused at her, "oh really dear?" he asked as an evil smirk came over his face, "You have no idea who you are really sleeping with do you?"

That shut Kylie up as Cahill approached them, turning his gaze to Sherlock, "She's got fire, I'll give you that. Lola was much better for you, you two made quite a team."

Sherlock stood up straight as Cahill came closer until he was standing right in front of him, "I want what you stole from me. If I don't get it back…. well…" he said looking at Kylie and then back at him with an evil smirk, "You know what will happen…"

"I don't have anything of yours," Sherlock told him as he felt his heart race in slight panic. He never panicked…"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Yes," Cahill told him, "You do. You have why I am so successful. You took that from me when you left, and I don't like people who leave Sherlock Holmes, that's call betrayal."

"Go to hell," Kylie told him, "He's done with you."

Cahill slowly turned his gaze to Kylie, "You have no idea what I am capable of do you?"

Kylie just gulped; she didn't know what to say.

"You have three days Sherlock," Cahill said as he walked back over and grabbed his coat, "you know what will happen if you don't give me what I want…" he said with an evil smile as he walked past them and out the door.

Lola was just staring at Sherlock, as she slowly approached him, shaking and tweaking the entire way, "He thinks you need me too," she said quietly as she reached out to touch him and Sherlock just stepped away from he and out of her reach, bumping into Kylie as he found her hand, grabbing it.

Lola didn't miss the action, as she looked broken, completely broken.

"Lola," Cahill's voice said firmly from down the stairs, "Now."

Lola began shaking worse than she already was as her eyes widened in fear. She gave Sherlock one last look before running out the door after Cahill.

Kylie and Sherlock both stood there in frozen silence for a moment as they heard the door to the street shut.

"What in the hell was that?" Sherlock said rounding on her suddenly, making Kylie jump at his harsh tone.

"Excuse me?"

"Cahill is by far the most dangerous man out there and you stop using your brain and spout off to him like a deranged moron," Sherlock ranted.

Kylie glared at him, "I was trying to protect you!"

"I don't need _protecting,_" Sherlock told her as he made a face and flopped on his couch.

"Well excuse me…" Kylie began before Sherlock cut her off.

"Do shut up," he snapped at her, "Your idiotic pointless ranting is bringing down my IQ faster than Anderson."

Anger surged through Kylie as she stood there fuming.

She marched over to Sherlock who was already in his thinking stance as he lay on the couch with his eyes closed. Kylie grabbed a throw pillow that was on the floor, chucking it at his face as hard as she could, startling him.

"Now YOU look here Sherlock Holmes," Kylie said, as she swore she felt steam coming out of her ears, "I am your girlfriend, not your Goddamn slave. I am your equal. You treat me right 99.8% of the time, but it's that 0.02% that REALLY PISSES me off. If you want someone who you can command around, I think Lola is available," Kylie stood up as she shook with fury remembering Cahill's words and Lola's actions, leaping to conclusions once more, "That's already if you aren't currently fucking her."

And with that, Kylie turned on her heel once more and stormed out of the flat, slamming the door behind her, leaving Sherlock, confused, and alone with his thoughts.

**Review?**


	97. Chapter 97

**Thanks so much to my reviewers! I love you guys!  
**

**A huge thanks to optimisticlivvy, Scarlett Frost, Gwilwillith, DjBirdywantstofly, staaacielou, crimson tigerlily, and bored411 for their reviews! I really appreciate the feedback!  
**

**Also, I have a new story up that is an off play off this story. It was suggested to me by Sovor, that I write a story about Sherlock's past with drugs and Cahill. I would love you forever if you guys read it and let me know what you thought! The more feedback I get the more motivated I will be to update!**

**Its called "Damages and Reparations" PLEASE check it out! **

**Anyhow, enjoy!**

Sherlock just stared at the door that Kylie just stormed out of flat. He was so confused, why had she stormed out. He had just stated facts; it really was idiotic of her to spout off to a man as dangerous as Cahill. She claimed that she was trying to protect him; that was a humorous statement within itself. He didn't need protecting; he had "protected" himself since he was a young boy.

But what was really puzzling him, why on earth had she made statements about Lola? He had told her he had never had a "relationship" with her. Lola and he had been friends, but he didn't understand how that would elicit anger out of her. He had just told her to be quiet so he could think. Her moronic rant had gotten him in deeper with Cahill and he didn't need that.

Kylie wasn't his only problem right now though, Cahill was going to hurt her if he didn't give him what he wanted, only problem was though, he had no clue what Cahill had been referencing. He hadn't stolen anything from him. He could have probably figured it out if Kylie had kept her mouth shut.

Sherlock sighed in annoyance as he rubbed a hand through his hair.

_Goddammit Kylie._

He needed to think about this case, and yet all he could focus on were her words.

**&^*&)(*&^%**

Mary was standing in her kitchen humming to herself as she finished cleaning up after dinner. She couldn't take her mind off of the floral arrangement that had all went to hell not two days ago. She hated planning this wedding, She just wanted to be married to the wonderful man that she shared this flat with…. only six more months.

She felt strong arms wrap around her waist as John kissed her temple.

"You okay," John asked her as Mary relaxed into his arms.

Mary sighed, "I just want to be married, start our life together."

John sighed, he felt the same way. "I know," he told her, "Just a couple more months."

Mary turned in his arms and rubbed a hand up his chest as she gazed at him.

"What did I do to deserve you? I never thought I would find someone who would put up with my craziness."

John smirked as he pulled her closer, pressing his body into hers, "well, I was living with a lot of craziness before."

Mary giggled and shrugged before kissing him, sighing at the feeling of relief, relaxation, and comfort that John gave her as he wrapped her in his arms.

Mary couldn't help but smile as she felt the emotion behind the kiss. John was telling her with out words, that he would always be there, no matter what. Mary's hands snaked their way under his jumper. That was it; the no sex rule was going out the window. It had been almost four months since they had been abstaining and she knew John was dying, but it was taking every once of self-control not to shove him to the ground and ravage him.

She felt John shiver as he dropped his mouth from hers to kiss her throat, as Mary began to try to pull his jumper.

They heard their front door open and slam shut as they both froze.

"I swear to GOD I am going to kill him," they heard Kylie rant as she stomped into the kitchen, pulling off her jacket and pulling off her heels.

"By all means, come on in," Mary said sarcastically as she tried to push John away, but he grabbed her.

"Make yourself comfortable, we'll be right back…in about twenty…" John said as he hurriedly tried to pull Mary into their bedroom before Mary gave him a look and wiggled out of his grasp.

"Was dinner with his mum really that bad?" Mary asked as she sat down across from her best friend.

John groaned as he glared at Kylie with disappointment.

_So close…._

"Welcome to my life John," Kylie said with a smile, seeing how John was glaring at her, "karma is a bitch aint it?"

John glared.

"Dinner?" Mary asked.

Kylie groaned and held her head in her hands, "Mary, it was terrible…."

"Couldn't be worse than me meeting Mary's" John said begrudgingly as he sat down at the table as well.

Kylie just stared at him, "no, far….FAR worse."

"What happened?" Mary asked.

"Okay so first of all, I knew Sherlock had a messed up home life, but never in a million years would I have thought it to be THAT messed up," Kylie said as her anger left and sadness took over, "It was like he didn't even exist in his mother's eyes. He was the mess up, that's why she turned a blind eye when her famous husband beat the living crap out of him as a child."

"His Dad was famous?" Mary asked.

"Dr. Edmund Holmes," John said sadly.

"The psychiatrist?" Mary gaped as Kylie just looked at John.

"You knew?" she asked.

John nodded, "I had a hunch and figured it out."

"So he was neglected and abused?" Mary asked running a hand through her hair, "well I guess that's why he is the way he is."

"I just… I don't know how anyone could treat a child like that," Kylie said as she looked down at her hands, tears coming to her eyes as she envisioned it, "I can just see Sherlock as a little boy, brilliant, adorable, and curious…. and they just hit him and didn't care."

Kylie wiped her eyes, "he had never been loved. No one ever told him how brilliant, how extraordinary he was. No one ever held him, cuddled him, kissed him, cared for him…" Kylie stopped, as she couldn't keep going. Her heart was breaking at the thought of what he had gone through in his life.

She felt John grab one of her hands, she looked at him, "that was until you came along Kylie."

Kylie laughed through her tears, "You still haven't heard what I did at dinner."

Mary broke into a small smile, "oh I have a feeling this is going to be good."

"So, I found all this out from wandering around the house snooping…" Kylie began.

"Did you find any embarrassing pictures?" John asked eagerly.

"I wish," Kylie told him, "if so, I would use them right now on him."

Mary gave her a curious look, "that's for later," Kylie told her as she began to fill them in on the dinner from hell.

"So, I don't get it," Mary said, "Why are you mad at Sherlock?"

"I still can't believe you called his Mum a crazy bitch," John said smirking.

Kylie smirked at John's comment, "Yeah, so we are totally fine and we get back to Baker Street, where Sherlock attempted in his own way to jump me."

Mary busted out laughing, as John looked slightly disgusted.

"How?" Mary asked eagerly.

Kylie laughed at John's expression, "Just staring."

"What no sexy poses? Or sexting?" Mary asked with a grin on her face.

Kylie looked at her as if she had lost her mind, "uh, no… Oh dear God," Kylie said flashing a disgusted look to John, "you two do that don't you?"

John turned a slight red as Mary smirked; "Don't be jealous, just because we make _Fifty Shades of Grey _look like amateur hour…"

"Not currently," Kylie said with a smile.

Both Mary and John glared at her.

"Anyway," Kyle continued, "Lola the crack whore and the drug Lord Sherlock used to work for are in our flat."

"ARDAN CAHILL WAS IN YOUR FLAT?" John gaped at her.

Kylie looked at him weirdly, "Yeah, he sells drugs…so what?"

"Kylie, he's one of the most dangerous men in the world," Mary told her darkly, "you both need to be careful around him. He does some messed up stuff to people, and he always gets his way."

"He wasn't that scary," Kylie told them.

"You ran your mouth at him didn't you?" John gaped at her, "You told off one of the most dangerous drug lords."

Kylie looked at him, "I was trying to help Sherlock!"

"By running your temper at the most dangerous man in Britain?" John gaped, "Jesus, no wonder Sherlock pissed you off."

"He tried to command me around and told me to shut up," Kylie argued back.

"Since when does he not do that?" John yelled at her, "I mean you have caused him to change and evolve, Kylie I will give you that, but he is still the argumentative, stubborn, pissy Sherlock Holmes I lived with. And you can't expect him to change that too."

That shut Kylie up. She just stared at John and blinked a few times.

"You're right," she said nodding, "he is always like that. I didn't want him to change. I love him for who he is, and I just got mad at him for that."

"Look, he loves you. You have evolved him, he is still the Sherlock Holmes that I know, but you've made him more human, a better man," John told her, "This is just like when the two of you were broken up and the Ripper came along. He was short with you and pushed you away because he doesn't know how to deal with the emotion and protectiveness he feels towards you. You put yourself in danger by mouthing off and he's probably mad for you putting yourself in harms way."

"But I love him, I need to be by his side and help him through this. Help take this bastard down," Kylie told him.

"I doubt Sherlock sees it that way," Mary said, "He's never been in a relationship…what?" Mary said as she paused seeing Kylie's face.

"Nothing," She said shaking her head, "it was just something Cahill mentioned about him and Lola."

"Oh no," John said as he sat back in his chair, "This is going to turn into Irene all over again."

Kylie just gave him a strange look.

"Kylie, how many people have to tell you, you are the first person Sherlock has ever cared about? You thought that he was cheating on you with Irene, and now you are going to leap to the same conclusions with Lola." John told her.

"You didn't see…" Kylie began before John cut her off again.

"Kylie, we all have insecurities because of past relationships, and Thomas especially screwed you up, but Sherlock NEVER looks at other women. Hell, you are the first I think I've ever seen him touch let alone show interest in. I don't know the history with him and this woman, but I will tell you they no way shape or form had a relationship similar to what you have with him and nor is he currently."

"He's right," Mary said jumping in, "That man loves you and you taught him its okay to love. You two are going to go the distance together."

Kylie looked down at the ring on her hand.

"As much trouble as that ring has caused you with his family," John said smiling, "its his way of claiming you as his own. And when he makes something his, it stays with him forever."

Kylie smiled and stood up, putting back on her shoes and coat, "Thanks guys, you two always seem to knock some sense into me."

"Pleasure," Mary said smiling.

"Just call next time," John told her as Kylie laughed and walked towards the door.

"Have fun kids," Kylie said with a wave as she walked out onto the now dark street.

Mary sighed before she felt John lunge at her as he pushed her against a wall, kissing her.

"Someone's eager," Mary said laughing as John fumbled with her clothes, trying to remove them.

"I don't like being interrupted," John muttered against her skin before picking her up and carrying her into their bedroom.

**&&* (#**

Kylie walked along kicking herself; she had NEVER wanted to change that man. EVER! That was never her intention. He was different with her, he had let her in, and she knew that.

"_He's a better man"_ John's words echoed in her head.

_He was already a damn good one._

Kylie smiled to herself; she really was the luckiest woman in the world. She needed to make this up to him. Sure he had snapped at her, but she snapped at him too. She was just always the one who walked out.

Kylie stopped in her tracks as she noticed a dirty, blond woman shaking near the sidewalk. She recognized her immediately, Lola. She saw her look around the street before ducking into an alley. Kylie narrowed her eyes quizzically before following her at a distance. She followed her down the alley and quickly ducked behind a box as Lola stopped and turned, feeling Kylie following her.

Kylie looked up and saw her ducking into the side door of an abandoned shop. Kylie stood up, this was her chance. All she had to do was see the drugs, get out, call Lestrade and Cahill and Lola would be out of her life.

Kylie walked quickly towards the building, looking around before cautiously opening the door and slipping into the building.

**Review?**

**And don't forget to check out "damages and Reparations" and let me know what you think!**


	98. Chapter 98

**So, as it was pointed out to me (Thanks to holmesiswheretheheartis) the wedding is 4.5 months away, not six like I said last chapter. I was far too lazy to look up what I had written, so I just wrote that and hoped it was right…. obviously it wasn't.**

**A huge thanks to my reviewers: TVDamonSLover, Jumperguy, thegirlwiththebrowneyes, optimistic livvy, gwilwillith, holmesiswherehtheheartis, bored411, scarlett frost, skywrites, and staaacielou for their reviews they are all very much appreciated!  
**

**Also, if you haven't yet, please go check out my new story "Damages and Reparations" and drop a review letting me know what you think. I just need to know if I should continue or not!**

**Anyhow, heres a nice long chapter! Enjoy!**

****WARNING! Mature material in this chapter. If you don't like blood and gore…. don't read…**

Kylie slowly closed the door behind her as quietly as she could as to not attract any attention to herself. She gazed down the darkened hallway. It was made up of rotting wood as she saw a light coming from around the corner as well as voices. She couldn't understand anything that was being said but the voices were all male.

Kylie crept down the hall. All she had to do was see the drugs, tie them to Cahill, get out and call Lestrade. As she crept as silently as she could down the hallway, the voices began clearer. One definitely belonged to Cahill as another was much deeper, while there was also crying surrounding the room.

Kylie turned the corner and saw a dimly lit room as Lola, Cahill, and another large man were surrounding what looked to be a young boy tied to a chair. Kylie quietly crept forward and bent down behind the large crates that surrounded the room.

"Please," the young boy pleaded as Kylie reached into a hole in the crate and pulled out a tan powder… heroine…

"Shut your bloody trap," Cahill said menacingly, "We know that you stole some of the product. Where is it boy?"

"Please! I don't know!" The boy began before the large man hit him with a lead pipe in the stomach, causing the boy to cry out in pain.

"We have one ounce unaccounted for," Cahill said as he watched casually, Lola the only one looking uncomfortable in the room.

_One ounce? All of this for one ounce of drugs?_

"Please! You have to understand! My father…" the boy began as he tried to breathe with his now probably broken ribs.

"So you did steal it?" Cahill said as he nodded towards the larger man who went over to a table.

"I'll pay you," the boy pleaded, "my father, he's sick. I had to help pay for his treatment. Please, you have to understand."

"Oh how sad," Cahill said with fake sadness, "poor Tiny Tim…"

Kylie felt the breath catch in her throat as she saw the much larger man pull out a very large knife. She had what she needed to run, but she had to help this boy.

"You know what we do to betrayers," Cahill said as the boy's pleading increased as the large man came at him, "An eye for an eye as Hammurabi said."

The man took the knife to the boy's face as he held his eye open, jamming the knife into the socket, causing blood to spurt. Kylie fought the urge to vomit as the boy screamed and screamed. She didn't have a gun, she couldn't do anything, she was shocked, rooted to the spot. Her voice was gone. Who in the hell could do this to a human being over a single ounce of drugs?

The larger man pulled away as the boy began to whimper and cry. The large man smirked before looking down and bringing his knife down on the boy's fingers. The boy screamed once more as his index and middle finger hit the floor. Kylie bit back as scream herself as she watched this teenage boy experience more pain than she had ever endured in her life.

"The other hand," Cahill commanded.

"PLEASE!" the boy yelled as the large man raised his knife once more.

_Father of mine  
Tell me where have you been  
Yea I just closed my eyes  
And the world disappeared_

The man paused as the music began playing. Both Cahill and the large man as well as Lola looked towards where Kylie was hidden and now trying to find her cellphone that was currently ringing.

_Why did her father have terrible timing? Choosing to call her at a time like this?_

"Go," Cahill commanded the large man as he picked up a gun.

Kylie froze; she had no weapons, no way to defend herself.

She just got up and tore out of the building as fast as she could in her dress and heels she still had on from dinner with Lucifer whom Sherlock referred to as mother.

"GET HER!" Cahill commanded as she heard the large man right on her heels. Kylie pushed faster thanking God for her daily runs. This man was large and muscular; he had a lot of weight to move. He would be slow…. Right.

Wrong. The man who had started about 50 feet behind her was now about ten. Shots rang out as Kylie hit the streets of London, weaving in and out, trying to lose him in the darkened slum. She felt air rush by her, a bullet barely missing her. She heard his breathing right on her tail as the gun was thrown aside, he having spent the magazine as he pushed faster towards her. Kylie rounded a corner sharply as her heel caught a cobblestone, causing her to stumble and the man to catch up to her, throwing her to the ground.

Kylie bit back a yelp as she felt her shoulder hit the ground at just the right angle, popping it out of the socket as she struggled with the much heavier man on top of her. His fist met her cheek as pain and blurriness took over. His fist contacted her ribs once more as she felt the air leave her lungs and a knife pressed to her neck.

Kylie opened her eyes and stared into the eyes of the man she knew was going to kill her.

Here she was, going to die in the alleyway of a London slum she had been dragged to from following Lola from a perfectly good neighborhood. She was going to die after being a petty bitch to the man she loved, the man who didn't know love. Sherlock….

"You are dating the Holmes guy," the man said to her.

_Wait what?_

"You aren't going to lay a finger on him," Kylie told him as she fought with her good arm against him.

The man looked at her for a moment before stabbing himself in the leg with the knife and let go of her completely.

Kylie just stared at him, speechless. Why in the HELL had he stabbed himself? Who did that?

"Run." The man told her, "Get out of here. And do yourself a favor. Stop looking into this. Your boyfriend is being protected, just know that." The man panted as he pulled the knife out of his thigh, "Go, get out of here before Cahill catches up."

Kylie stumbled as she got to her feet before she limped while she attempted to run away. She turned the corner back onto the street in which John and Mary lived and she felt tears running down her face. She wasn't sure if it was from the pain that she was in, the fact she had almost died, or the fact that she had seen a teenager being tortured.

She wanted Sherlock. She wanted nothing more than to be wrapped in his arms right now. She just wanted to know that everything was going to be alright.

She found herself at John and Mary's door. She needed her shoulder back in place. She needed help doing it, as she had never dislocated it before.

Right as she was about to knock the door opened to reveal a hastily dressing John followed by a wide-eyed and pale Mary who was pulling on her shirt.

"Kylie!" John exclaimed in relief before he noticed her injuries, "Jesus, what happened? We just called Sherlock to make sure you had gotten home…"

Kylie broke down right then and there, she had no idea why, but she did. Tears coming harder than ever.

"Jesus is your shoulder dislocated?" John noted before pulling her gently in the house.

Mary handed John a phone, "call Sherlock, I need to get her in better clothes so we can help her."

Mary gently pulled Kylie into the bedroom shutting the door behind her.

John sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he dialed his best friends number. It had been by a miracle that they had figured Kylie was missing. He and Mary were about to sleep, in the best damn sleep John will most likely have had since Kylie caused Mary to instigate the abstinence rule, when Mary made him call Sherlock.

Mary had forced him to call the number 27 times until Sherlock picked up and snapped at him. It was only until he had asked if Kylie had gotten home that Sherlock had begun to panic slightly in the way that everyone else but John would think that he was perfectly calm. It was in that moment, both men knew that something had happened as just as he and Mary were about to begin looking, Kylie had shown up at their doorstep.

"John," Sherlock said breathlessly as he picked up the phone, the streets of London in the background.

"She's here," John told him, "She's hurt and hysterical, but in one piece," John paused for a moment, pondering if he should interfere as he remembered how upset his friend had been when Kylie had run to Witham after her nightmares, "She's asking for you," he said closing his eyes at his own lie.

John knew that Kylie would want him here, she always wanted him, but she hadn't said it in words, so technically, it felt like a lie.

"I'm on my way," Sherlock told him quickly as he hung up the phone.

Kylie and Mary emerged as Kylie was dressed in one of Mary's tank tops that was far too short for her as she was much taller than her friend, as well as a pair of shorts.

"You have done far more shoulder realignments than I have," Mary told John as she sat the quietly crying Kylie down in a chair.

John sighed as he looked at it once more, "God, it's the one you had surgery on too," he said as he looked at the scars. She had by random chance, dislocated the same shoulder she had been stabbed in by the Ripper, reinjured while she was trying to unpack her things in 221B, and then had surgery on to repair the damage about three months ago.

"Her ribs too," Mary commented as she handed John his kit, "She has bad bruising. Not severe internal bleeding, but most likely broke a couple."

"I'm fine," Kylie muttered as she tried to get up.

"WOAH," John said as he pushed her back down, "you're not going anywhere until I fix you."

John began to look at her shoulder as Mary stroked her hair, trying to keep her calm as Kylie stared into space. She couldn't take her mind off that kid. What in the hell had Cahill done to Sherlock if he had taken an eye and fingers from a boy who stole an OUNCE of drugs to help his family? She wanted Sherlock… she wanted him to hold her.

Kylie's thoughts were cut off as John tugged her shoulder sharply, pulling it back into place as pain and then relief coursed though her. She had heard his voice and him moving her shoulder, but she couldn't understand anything, it was as if she was locked in a soundproof glass room.

…. She just wanted Sherlock….

Cold connected with her shoulder as Mary pressed some ice to it. She saw John glance at her and then Mary, worry plastered all over his face. As he filled a syringe and tried to talk to her.

Kylie didn't move, she just kept staring. She felt a needle prick in her arm as the pain began to dissipate away and fuzziness took over as her mind began to cloud.

She felt John begin to lift up her shirt and examine her ribs, wrapping them with an ACE wrap.

Mary glanced at her fiancé with worry. She had never seen Kylie so gone, and vacant as she stared at the floor blankly, tears still streaming down her face.

The door burst open as Sherlock barged in, panting as his hair looked windswept. He had obviously ran the entire way to their home. Mary couldn't help but smile, he was obviously extremely worried. He would never admit it, but he was.

"Kylie," he said as he rushed over to her, nearly knocking John out of the way as he knelt in front of her, looking over her with worry as he eyed her shoulder, the large bruise forming on her face, and the bandage around her torso.

Kylie's vacant eyes met his before life began to come back into them, filling quickly with emotion as she began crying once more. She leaned forward and flung both arms around his neck, pulling herself close to him as she heard Mary and John object behind them.

She buried her face him his scarf as she felt his arms wrap around her tightly. She could feel his already quickened heart rate increase more as she felt him look towards John.

"We don't know what happened," John told him quietly as Sherlock looked at him in hopes of an explanation, "She just showed up at our doorstep when we went outside to look for her. She's pretty shaken up Sherlock, she's in shock."

They heard Kylie's phone ring in the other room as Mary got up to go and get her things as Sherlock held her in his lap, pulling her gently from the chair as to not hurt her even more.

"Her Dad," Mary said as she held the phone along with Kylie's tattered clothes from the fight.

The ringing stopped and then started up again immediately as the song played over and over again.

"What should I do?" Mary asked as Kylie was completely unresponsive to the ringing and just clinging to Sherlock.

Sherlock sighed and rolled his eyes as the phone began ringing for the fifth time, holding out his hand.

Mary handed it to him and he pressed ignore immediately.

The phone was quiet for a moment.

"Her shoulder was dislocated and she has broken ribs," John told Sherlock as the phone began ringing again and he promptly pressed ignore once more.

"I gave her pain meds…"

_Father of mine…_

Sherlock angrily snatched up the phone as he kept one arm securely around Kylie and brought it up to his ear, answering the call.

"Do you really expect your daughter to pick up and not be annoyed to death by your calling?" Sherlock snapped at Gibbs.

"Where's my daughter?" he growled on the other line. He was obviously very upset at the woman crying in his arms.

"She's unable to come to the phone at the moment," Sherlock said in a sarcastically cheery tone, "I'll have her call you once she is not injured and in shock, so if you could restrain yourself from dialing her number like a trained monkey with mental disabilities, it would be much appreciated."

"WHAT….!" Gibbs began before Sherlock cut him off as he hung up the phone and powered it off before he could call back.

John and Mary just stared at him. Sure, this behavior was expected from him, but both John and Mary had met Kylie's father. The man was frightening beyond belief… and Sherlock had just called him a monkey with mental disabilities…

…This would not end well.

They watched as Sherlock shifted and whispered something in Kylie's ear before pulling back to try to look at her before picking her up and cradling her easily in his arms.

"She needs a sling," John said handing him the one Kylie had been forced to wear by the hospital as she had "donated" it to him, by throwing it out multiple times and attempting to burn it several times as well.

"You guys can stay here," Mary offered motioning to the couch, "that way John can give her some more meds in the morning."

"I'm taking her back," Sherlock told them as he motioned to Kylie's things as much as he could with the woman in his arms who was slowly unfurling herself from the haze of shock and the drugs and noticing that she was not touching the ground.

The doctor in John took note in her blank expression and pale form. She was definitely in shock.

He ran into the bedroom and came back with his bathrobe, "Let's just put this on her before you go," John told him, "She's in shock."

Sherlock nodded and looked at her slightly more aware expression, slowly setting her on her feet, keeping a good grasp on her so she wouldn't fall over.

John and Sherlock pulled the bathrobe over her and carefully threaded her hurt arm along with the ice bag under the robe, tying it snugly around her before putting her in the sling. Kylie just clung as tightly as she could to Sherlock who kept having to pry himself out of her grasp gently as he tried to help John keep her warm and protect her shoulder.

Sherlock looked at John, and he could see the worry in his friends face.

"She'll be okay," he told him, "She's just in shock. It will take her a bit, but she'll come out of it."

Sherlock nodded in thanks before gently nudging Kylie towards the door, her belongings in hand as she vacantly walked wherever he steered her. She kept trying to get as close as she possibly could to him as they walked out to the street.

**^& #*& (*#**

Sherlock walked into 221B with her cradled in his arms once more, nudging the door shut behind him with his foot as he carried her over to the couch. She hadn't said a word to him still as she remained vacant and quiet as tears still rolled down her cheeks. Quite frankly, this was scaring him. She was acting like a shell of the woman he loved, not herself at all. He still did not have a clue how on earth this had happened to her. If Cahill had gotten a hold of her, she would be dead. Who was it? The cabbie Sebastian Moran? He still hadn't found that bastard, but he needed to.

He glanced down at Kylie as he held her on the couch. She was vacantly staring at the buttons of his jacket. He sighed and shifted them so he could lay on the couch and prop her up next to him as she lay on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and looked at her.

"What happened Ky?" he asked her quietly as he stroked a hand through her hair.

Why on earth was he like this? He was furious with her for acting like a completely imbicile not an hour ago before he had picked up John's call. Once John had asked him if Kylie was home yet, he had felt all of that anger go away instantaneously. Fright, worry, and panic set in as his mind leapt to the possibilities that Cahill could have done to her if she had been stupid enough to follow him of Lola. How could his emotions completely change like a rollercoaster?

She tightened her grip on him and clung to him like a scared child.

"Who did this to you?" he asked her as he kissed her hair.

"What did they do to you?" Kylie asked him, as he looked at her startled, she wasn't making any sense.

"I saw him gauge out a teenager's eye and chop off his fingers for taking an ounce of drugs to help his father get treated for an illness," she continued with a vacant stare, the emotion beginning to come back in her voice as her speech was slightly slurred from the drugs, "then he let me go? I don't know why he stabbed himself…. but he let me go…"

Sherlock tightened his grip on her as his worst thoughts had been confirmed, she had been tracking Cahill. He wanted to be angry with her, he wanted to be furious. How in the hell could she had risked herself like that? That had to be the stupidest thing she had ever done! He couldn't find anger with in himself, only relief and sadness. Relief at the fact that she was still alive and in his arms after facing the most dangerous man he knew, and sadness due to the fact she had to witness some of the things that kept him from sleeping most nights.

"Why did he let me go?" she asked again as she cuddled closer, not paying attention to her shoulder as she couldn't feel it.

He gently placed her arm in a safe position for her shoulder, "who let you go? Cahill?"

She wasn't making sense. It was the shock talking.

"What did they do to you?" she asked him, "How could anyone hurt you?"

"Who let you go Kylie?" he asked her gently, having no idea when he manifested patience for this sort of thing.

"The large man," Kylie told him, "He caught me and asked me if I was dating you before he stabbed himself and told me to run."

Sherlock just looked at her slightly confused, that made no sense, and yet he could see her beginning to come through the haze and get especially cuddly; her side effect of the pain meds John gave her…. not that he minded…

WHO WAS HE? SERIOUSLY? Since when did he enjoy human touch?

_Since Kylie touched you…_

Sherlock glared at his subconscious as he held her close to him, rubbing her back slightly before pulling the blanket that had been draped over the couch over the both of them in attempt to keep her warmer.

Sherlock felt his heart swell as he looked at her. He could have lost her today. The very thought of that devastated him. He had no idea how, but she had become the most important thing in his life. He hated himself for it, but he would give anything to protect this woman, to keep her safe.

He brushed a hand through her hair and kissed her forehead before muttering to her to get some sleep as he just looked at her, taking her in as she shut her eyes. He just held her tight, he never wanted to let her go, and Ardan Cahill certainly wasn't going to take her away from him.

**Review? Pretty please?**


	99. Chapter 99

**Okay so super short chapter guys! My apologies, I have meetings and practice all day, but I do have a break and I will try to put another up then! **

**A MASSIVE thanks to all of my reviewers! I am already running late for a meeting so I cant thank you individually but I will next chapter! Seriously I love all of the feedback it really means a lot that you guys care about my story!  
**

**Enjoy!**

Sherlock knew he needed to focus and think about the case, but for some reason he couldn't stop looking at Kylie asleep on his chest. His rational and logical mind was going nuts as he kept playing with her curls and watched her sleep on his chest.

_WHAT ARE YOU DOING! You aren't …emotional…. God, you are more pitiful than John with his love letters._

…_. Shut up…_

His other "human" side that he used to despise so much bit back. At the moment, this side was dominating his brain. He just couldn't get over the relief that she was still alive. Cahill would have killed her on the spot, he still couldn't figure out why his man hadn't. Kylie had been roughed up pretty well; it wouldn't have taken much more to kill her.

Sherlock gently ran his fingers over her bruised face, noticing small cut on her neck. He squinted at it, trying to get the best view possible without moving and waking her. She had had a knife against her throat… he was going to kill her, but he stabbed himself in the leg and let her go?

It didn't make sense… oh, yes..Yes it did all make sense.

The front door opened and shut as Mycroft Holmes entered the room pausing to raise his eyebrows at his little brother. He knew the nature of his and Kylie's relationship, but he had never seen them…so intimate, let alone his little brother holding someone so dearly to his chest as he glared at him.

"I can see Miss Gibbs has had quite a night," Mycroft commented as he sat down in an armchair.

Kylie began to stir lightly at the sound of Mycroft's voice intruding her sleep as Sherlock glared harshly at him and tried to sooth her back to sleep, trying his damnedest to hide it from his brother.

"I had to calm mummy down after your… unpleasant dismissal," he said with a smile as Kylie stirred even more, opening her eyes and blinking a few times.

"Ah, Miss Gibbs," Mycroft told her, "Mother sends her regards."

Sherlock snorted at this as Kylie's still drug addled brain tried to figure it out as she was still trying to wake up. Kylie blinked a few more times before trying to cuddle closer to Sherlock.

"Why are you here Mycroft?" Sherlock asked as he held Kylie tighter, "To punish me for walking out on mother?"

"That is a topic for discussion," Mycroft said with a smile, "You disrespected our mother in her home."

Sherlock scoffed, "Like she hadn't already done the same."

"True," Mycroft said, "but there comes a point when you have to…well," He smiled at him, "As Miss Gibbs would say 'grin and bare it'"

"You mother is Satan," Kylie muttered from where she lay.

Sherlock just looked with amusement at her as Mycroft raised an eyebrow, "I'm assuming that Miss Gibbs is on pain killers from her little stint earlier."

Sherlock looked at his brother, "well, you certainty would know that because it was your undercover man who did it to her."

Mycroft looked at his brother with a blank expression, "He's there to ensure your safety and pull information…"

"Tell me, how does that include nearly killing Kylie?" Sherlock snapped at him.

"It's a deep cover," Mycroft stated calmly, "And if Miss Gibbs hadn't been foolish enough to try to spy on them, she wouldn't have gotten hurt to begin with."

Sherlock just glared at the wall in front of him, as he didn't even want to look at his brother right now.

"Call him off," Sherlock told him, "I don't need protection."

"Damnit Sherlock," Mycroft said raising his voice and stomping his umbrella into the floor in a tone that Sherlock had only heard a few times when his brother was especially upset at him, "Ardan Cahill is coming after you once more. You already spent enough time under him and barely got out alive with the help of the entire British government, and now you want to do it by yourself?"

Mycroft closed his eyes and took a breath, his cool exterior returning as Kylie pulled her head up to look at Mycroft curiously.

"Cahill has things planned for you Sherlock, things that you couldn't even imagine. Moriarty and Thomas had a reputation, but I assure you that Cahill's bite is much, much worse than theirs," He told them.

Kylie grabbed Sherlock a little tighter in fear as Sherlock just stared at his brother blankly.

Mycroft got up from his chair; "I have established security for the both of you. Just try to keep your heads down for once."

Mycroft gave them one last forced smile before walking out of the room, leaving them alone once more.

They remained quiet for a few moments, lost in their own thoughts before Kylie turned and looked at him, laying her injured arm on his chest not realizing it was hurt due to the drugs flowing through her veins still.

"What does Cahill want Sherlock?" Kylie asked quietly with tears in her eyes, "What does he have planned for you?"

"I'm sure he'll torture me in some regard if I don't give him what he wants," Sherlock told her quietly as he stared blankly at the ceiling.

He heard Kylie sob and tears hit his jacket and scarf he was still wearing. He looked down at her to see her crying as she brought a hand to his cheek as to see if he was still in front of her.

He hadn't meant to upset her, and he felt his heart break slightly at the sight of her crying because of something he said. He did not understand himself anymore. This woman had brought more confusion into his life, but she had also brought happiness and warmth back into it as well. She made him feel better than any drug he had ever taken, than any case he had ever solved…and he didn't understand it one bit. She was a mystery, a puzzle onto herself.

Why did she care? He still didn't get that part either. Why was she so upset? She wouldn't be the one in harms way?

…_She loves you you idiot. How many times does she have to tell you that._

Love, it was such a curious word. He had looked it up in the dictionary. It meant a profusely tender, passionate affection for another person. Kylie was profusely tender. He was more tender with her than most of his experiments. She hit all of the markers and the signs, she loved him. It wasn't just that though; in a self-reflection, he did too. He loved her; there was no doubting it now. He fit the definition to a T.

He loved her and he had to protect her. As much as he hated to admit it to himself, he needed her.

"What does Cahill want from you?" Kylie asked once more as he carefully tried to readjust her shoulder so she wouldn't anger it, "Just give it to him! Its not worth it!" she pleaded, "What is it? Money? Drugs?"

Sherlock looked at her. The look scared Kylie; it was a mixture of many things. Confusion, love, tenderness, sadness, anger, fear….

"What does he want?"

Sherlock swallowed and ran a hand through her hair before answering her in a quiet voice, "Me. He wants me."

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	100. Chapter 100

**A huge thanks to everyone who reviewed the last two chapters! I am so sorry I didn't thank you last chapter! **

**Thanks to: optimistic livvy, bored 411, sherlockian2205, TVDeamonSLover, Oreal 770, staacielou, Gwilwillith, polkadotprincess, Chelgallifreya221B613, IronStarGallifreya, SkyWrites, ScarlettFrost, fanfreak4ever, and Kie1993 for their amazing reviews!  
**

**I just wanted to thank you all for your support. I never thought I would ever have enough readers to support 100 Chapters let alone two other stories! You guys have been amazing and never cease to make my day!**

**Okay so just so I don't get a flood of angry people messaging me. Sherlock reflects on some things that are thoroughly being debated in our society at the moment with abortion and when a baby is determined to be "Alive". THESE ARE NOT MY OPINIONS! I have a very different opinion than that will not discuss here because I think there are things wrong with both sides and hate in discussing the issues address just doesn't make sense to me. I just don't understand why we all need to hate each other before people even speak two words. It's the same thing with Gay rights here in the states. I am Christian and I have to apologize for people who treat gays and lesbians terribly. I don't care who you fall in love with or whom you are attracted to, as long as you have the opportunity to love and be loved. Everyone should be and is. I apologize, I don't mean to get into my beliefs in God, but just know that I am sorry for those people who tell you you are going to burn in hell for all eternity. I love you, and that is not what I believe in or the God I know believes in. Its all about love and acceptance. These people who tell you this are far worse for saying that they are "holier" than you because they are together with someone of the opposite sex. I am straight, but some of my best friends are bi and gay. I guess I just don't understand how people can judge such wonderful human beings purely by whom they are attracted to. WE ARE ALL PEOPLE. I'm sorry for just ranting all over the place, but I just have so many friends who are affected by this and so bitter towards religion because of it, and truthfully, I don't blame them. It's just dumb. All of this hate is just dumb. **

**Sorry for getting so off topic, but I just hate to see my friends struggle with this, and I hope that none of you are affected by the terrible people in this world. **

**Sorry for the long A/N! Enjoy!**

Kylie just stared at him, the tears coming even faster.

"What?" she asked trying her damnedest not to completely break down, "What do you mean he wants you?"

Sherlock ran a hand through her hair once more trying to calm her. He knew it was unlike himself, but for some reason the softness of her hair seemed to calm him as well.

"Just that," he told her quietly, "He wants me. He believes he owns my abilities."

Kylie just shut her eyes. She couldn't think, her drugged mind was so clouded she couldn't make sense of anything. The only thing that she knew for sure was Sherlock was in danger.

She felt his hand run through her hair once more.

"He can't have you," she whispered before burying her head in his scarf and coat once more, holding him as tightly as she could.

Sherlock didn't answer as she began crying into his scarf. He just held her as he stroked her hair and kissed the crown of her head.

He didn't know what else to do. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to fix this. He felt sobs rack her body as he held her close to him. He hated seeing her like this, he didn't know why she was crying but he figured it had to do with either PMS or the drugs.

He just held her as he thought. He needed to keep her safe and away from all of this. She had already gotten hurt and he couldn't even bare the thought of worse happening to her because of him.

He looked down at her as her sobs began to subside and her body began to still as she cried herself to sleep. Internal debated raged as he balanced his options. She would hate him if he sent her away and Cahill had reach all over the globe. But she wouldn't be here; she wouldn't have to endure this. On the other hand, he couldn't protect her if she was away. He didn't trust anyone to ensure her safety except John, but that was even barely. He certainly wouldn't trust that man she called her "brother"… Tony or whatever his name was. The man was a complete idiot.

Kylie's father on the other hand….

Could he do it though? Could he give up control, something he valued more than anything, to ensure her safety? Sherlock had always been in control of situations since he had gone to university. His mind and his skills had allowed that by some miracle along with the drugs He was able to push things away, deduce situations, know what was coming next, and shut off his brain when he wanted to. He always knew what was coming next. He saw it in people; he saw it written all over them before he had even spoken to them. He always held the upper hand in every situation…until now…

If he had Kylie removed from London (God knows she wouldn't go willingly) he would have to give up that control he would have over looking over her. He didn't know if he could trust his brother and her father with that task.

He brushed her hair out of her face. How on earth had he ended up feeling the way he did? How did he care so much?

Caring was not a family trait. He had never understood what John and Lestrade and all them had been talk about when they talked about "love" and at times, neither of them could understand how he could remain so objective during cases. He remembered the first case he had worked with John. The woman in pink had written her stillborn daughter's name on the floor and he could not wrap his mind around the fact how the woman could be still upset about it. John and Lestrade had been shocked and amazed that he couldn't understand how she still cared about a dead baby that was never "technically" alive.

He was beginning to understand though, not about people who have died, but he felt as if he actually cared for this woman now asleep on his chest. He loved her…of course he cared…

He just didn't understand how it was possible to care this much about something or another human being.

He sighed and pulled her as close as he could to his body before shutting his eyes and trying to think of a way out of this whole mess without forcing Kylie to leave as well as keep her safe.

**^&*&*(() #**

Kylie awoke in pain. She shoulder ached, she had sharp pain coming from her ribs, and why on earth did her right cheek hurt?

The night prior came back to her.

The boy. Cahill. Lola. Sherlock. Danger.

Kylie's eyes shot open as she scrambled to try to find the man she loved, only to feel familiar arms tighten around her and hold her from falling off of the sofa she was laying on.

"Kylie shh..."

Kylie stopped struggling before she looked at the source of the arms that were around her.

Sherlock...

Relief washed though Kylie's body as she tried to look over his body as pain surged through her shoulder when she found it to be bound to her body by that godforsaken sling she was forced to wear after surgery.

"Will you stop struggling?" Sherlock asked her as he put a hand gently on her shoulder and arm to get her to stop moving it.

Pain surged through her body as her adrenaline dissappated. Her ribs now hurt a LOT more than they did when she had first woken up. She winced as Sherlock slowly sat her up, sitting up after her as he began to take the robe off her body.

Kylie shivered as the crisp cool air hit her body. Wait...this robe looked familar...

"Isnt this John's?" Kylie asked puzzled.

Sherlock's flickered up to her.

"And Mary's clothes?" Kylie asked thuroughly confused, "Why...?"

"You dont remember?" Sherlock asked as he began to look at her pupils, "Did you hit your head?"

"What? No?"

"Do you remember anything about last night?" Sherlock asked her sharply as she could hear the slight panic in his voice.

"Yes, Sherlock!" Kylie argued as he began pushing her hair around to inspect her scalp for any trauma or head wound.

"Sherlock! Stop!" She told him as she grabbed his hand with her good arm trying to stop his fretting.

"I just dont remember how I got home or how I got into these clothes," Kylie told him as Mycroft's visit came back to her, "I remember everything else though even if its still hazy..." she added quietly as she looked at him, willing the emotion out of her voice.

Sherlock just looked at her once more as his gaze softened from analytical to a much somber one.

"Let me see," Sherlock said softly as he couldnt really think of anything to say on the topic. God knows he should be able to, he sat here all night thinking of what to tell her and what to do.

Kylie allowed a singel tear to escape as she allowed Sherlock to help her remove the sling and gently take off John's robe before helping her with her shirt.

She winced a little as she shifted her ribs uncomfortably. She saw Sherlock glance up at her as he began unwrapping the ACE bandage.

"I'm fine," Kylie told him, "Ive had worse."

"Will you just let me look?" Sherlock told her as he fought his eyes not to roll at her stubborness.

Kylie just stared at him as he sighed at her heavily bruised right side. He tenderly prodded it, checking for breaks.

"Why does Cahill want you?" Kylie asked in a quiet voice as she just sat there in Mary's sports bra.

Sherlock's eyes flickered up to her once more as his hands were still feeling her ribs.

"I told you," he replied, "He believes he owns my abilites."

"Why would he think that?" Kylie asked in the same quiet tone.

Sherlock just sat back and looked at her. Her face was filled with sadness, fear, and confusion. He really didnt want to talk about this with her. It would make it that much more difficult to convince her to leave.

"Cahill believes he created me. It was the only way that I was able to get in," he said before he even realized that he said it.

_What in the hell was wrong with him? He always thought before he spoke..._

"Get in to help save Lola?" Kylie asked quietly.

Sherlock just sat there, telling Kylie everything she needed to know.

"So you let him think that he was preening you?" she asked.

"Yes," He told her.

"So he'd trust you?"

"More or less."

"You were able to do all of this while still using?"

Sherlock's throat tightened. He was a different person from those days. He didnt want Kylie to see him that way. He didnt care if anyone else did, but then again, no one else mattered. John already knew because Mycroft couldnt keep his mouth shut and Lestrade had to be a child and pull a couple of "drug busts" on him to "keep him in line".

But Kylie didnt deserve to be dragged into that terrible world.

"You really are amazing," Kylie said as she reached out to lay a hand on his cheek, "You could still see everything and outwit a drug lord while high yourself."

Sherlock looked down in shame, ashamed at his own weakness to rely on drugs.

He felt her hand run through his hair as she shifted herself into his lap. Her hand went to his cheek once more and forced him to look at her, "Your past is a part of you. You have already had to deal with my past head on and now we are taking on yours. I dont care that you used to use, all that I care about is that you are clean and that you stay clean."

Sherlock's eyes surveyed her face before his hands slid up the soft skin of her back. Kylie wraped her arms around his neck, wincing as pain radiated through her shoulder, but she didnt care. She just wanted to hold onto this man forever.

They just clung to each other, both afriad that if they let go, the other would disappear forever.

They were only brought out of their moment when the door to the flat burst open and an angry looking Gibbs stormed in.

"Dad?" Kylie asked in total confusion.

"Shut it," Gibbs growled as he took in her injured body, "You have a lot of explaining to do Kyleigha Analeyse."

Middle names...oh Goodness...

"So why dont you get off your boyfriend's lap..."

"Oh God..." Sherlock began to argue loudly at Gibbs before Gibbs stared at him and approached him, shutting him up for a moment.

"I said I'll get to you in a moment, right now I am trying to speak with my daughter who I was trying to get a hold of by as you say 'dialing the phone like a mentally challenged monkey'."

Sherlock just stared at him as Kylie clambered off his lap and sat beside Sherlock as if she was in trouble at the principles office in elementary school.

"Why in the hell are you looking into Ardan Cahill?" Gibbs growled at her as he turned back to his daughter, "And dont try to deny it, I know you called McGee about it."

_Dammit Tim..._

"He was worried about you," Gibbs growled at her, "As he should be. And you know I didnt believe him because I thought my daughter had a BRAIN."

"Dad, look.." Kylie began.

"No, you look Kylie!" Her father told her, "Cahill is one of the most dangerous men in the world and le tme guess, you got beat up because you were stupid enough to chase after him?"

"Dad..."

"And you," he said turning to Sherlock, "I trust you to protect her from doing stupid shit like this. I trusted you to ensure my little girl is safe..."

"Dad, he didnt know what I was..."

"And telling me that I am not allowed to contact my own damn daughter and make sure that she is alright is not going to fly. We might as well get that straight now..."

"Dad lay off of him! It was a bad time..."

"Because so help me God if you tell me when and when I cannot speak to my own daughter one more time, I will put more pain in your life than you ever thought imaginable," Gibbs told him in a low voice.

Sherlock just scoffed and and gave Gibbs a dismissive half-smile, not pleasing Gibbs one bit.

Her father took a step forward as Kylie stood up quickly, instantly regretting it as her ribbs throbbed sharply.

Both Sherlock and her father looked at her with concern.

"Okay Dad, first of all, he had no idea what I was doing and Cahill is connected to a case we are working."

It wasnt a complete lie...

Gibbs just stared at his daughter.

"Do you make a habit of sitting in your boyfriend's lap with no shirt on?" Gibbs asked her dropping the Cahill topic.

Kylie let out a breath she had been holding. She knew this arguement wasnt over, but at least it was for now.

"I'm an adult Dad," Kylie told him.

"Dirty whore," a voice said from the doorway.

Kylie turned to see Lola standing there with another gun, holding it at her side.

"You got away," Lola told her as she scratched her face, obviously jonesing for a fix, "You wont this time. No you wont. He deserves better..."

"Lola," Sherlock said calmly as he slowly got up, "You need to leave."

"Why?" Lola asked as she looked at him, running a scarred hand through her dirty blond hair, "You helped me, now I am helping you."

"No you arent," Sherlock told her.

"You dont know help until you get it," Lola recited.

"Cahill doenst give advice Lola..."

"HE KNOWS BETTER THAN YOU!" Lola yelled at him unexpectedly, "He saved us. He can helps us! You need me. You need him. This bitch doesnt know anything. She's dirty."

"Last time I checked you were the whore," Sherlock snapped, "So I doubt you have any objectiveness in that area."

"Sherlock," Kylie said softly as Lola raised the gun.

"I love you," Lola said as tears flowed.

"A serious delusion on your end," he told her,

"I DID ALL OF THIS FOR YOU!" Lola yelled at him as she twitched, the gun firing and nearly missing Sherlock as he lunged at her, getting the gun out of her grasp and safely removing it.

"NO!" Lola said as she tried to get the gun back before Gibbs interfered and pulled her off of him.

"You need help!" Kylie told her as she struggled with her father's grasp as Sherlock removed the bullets so the gun could no longer be fired.

"Dirty Tramp!" Lola yelled, "He's mine!"

Lola's heel connected with her father's foot before she was able to wiggle out of his grasp and flee once more down the stairs.

"Cahill will find you!" She yelled as she ran down the stairs and out of the flat once more.

All three of them stared out the door before Kylie turned to her Dad.

"You okay Dad?" Kylie asked before her father turned to her.

"Want to fill me in now?" he asked them sternly, "because that obviously had something to do with somethings other than the supposed case you are working."

Kylie froze, she didnt want to bring up Sherlock's past quite yet with her father.

"And while you are at it," Gibbs told them as he shut and locked the door before sitting in one of the armchairs, "You can tell me why you got all new furniture and why you havent told me you are engaged."

**Review?**


	101. Chapter 101

**Thanks so much for all of the amazing reviews! I love you all! The feedback is so encouraging and helps me a lot! **

**A huge thanks to thegirlwiththebrowneyes, fanfreak4ever,skywrites, scarlettfrost, staacielou, kie1993, gwilwillith, X-poisoncherry-X, bored 411, polkadotprincess09, and jessness31 for their reviews!**

**Also, the second chapter is up of Damages and Reparations! I would really appreciate it if you guys checked out that story and let me know what you thought! I know most of you hate Lola, but she is pretty fun to write in that story, as she is so different from Kylie! Please check it out and let me know what you think!**

"Want to fill me in now?" Gibbs asked Kylie and Sherlock sternly as Lola fled the flat, "Because that obviously had something to do with something's other than the supposed case you are working."

Kylie froze; she didn't want to bring up Sherlock's past quite yet with her father.

"And while you are at it," Gibbs told them as he shut and locked the door before sitting in one of the armchairs, "You can tell me why you got all new furniture and why you haven't told me you are engaged."

"Why does everyone think it has to do with Marriage?" Sherlock spat in frustration at the damn ring.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow.

"You wanted it that way!" Kylie argued with him, "That's why you gave it to me in the first place!"

"If that boy hadn't have made lewd texts about you…" Sherlock began to argue.

"OH GOD! We are not going back to Trent! He's a university student who just got hot for teacher! He didn't touch me! And you were the one who nearly killed him by throwing out of a three story window six times!"

"He deserved it," Sherlock told her promptly.

"SIX TIMES!"

"He needed a message."

"You experimented on me!"

"You knew it!"

"Are you two done?" Gibbs said loudly to get their attention.

Both of them stopped and looked at him. They had been so caught up in the argument that both had forgotten that he was in the room still.

"I'm waiting for an explanation," Gibbs said in his usual quiet but threatening tone.

"We aren't engaged," Kylie said glancing at Sherlock nervously.

Gibbs just stared at her to continue.

"And we, uh…." Kylie said nervously as she ran a hand through her hair…this was incredibly awkward... "Never will be…"

Gibbs just stared at her blankly.

Kylie looked to Sherlock for help, but he was just staring blankly at her father.

…She was getting no help on this one….

"Its on your left hand," Gibbs told her pointedly.

Kylie sighed, "He asked me to wear it there, so I am. It's a sign of commitment between us and that's all you need to know…" Kylie trailed off as she saw the smirk and chuckle that escaped her father.

"What Dad?" Kylie asked crossing her arms.

"He asked you to wear it on your left hand?" Gibbs asked once more.

"Yes," Kylie said not getting it.

Gibbs chuckled once more before he turned to Sherlock, "It will take a lot more than a ring on her left hand to ward off men. I've been trying to do it her whole life."

Sherlock blank expression turned into a slight smirk at her father. He hadn't expected the man to catch on to that fact.

"I just hope that it means as much to you as it does to my daughter," Gibbs told him, his harsh stare returning.

"I'm right here," Kylie said as tried to put her shirt back on wincing.

Sherlock glanced at her father before noticing that fact and leaping up pulling the shirt away from her, picking up the ACE wrap. He began to wrap her ribs once more as Kylie began trying to shove his hands away from her.

"Sherlock, I'm fine!" Kylie argued, "Dear Lord, will you stop!"

"You have multiple fractures," Sherlock argued with her quietly as to try to prevent her father hearing him.

"So…" Kylie said as she winced sharply while she made to grab the shirt from him.

"Your arm Ky," Sherlock snapped at her as he grabbed it gently while he finished wrapping her, "John is going to throw an annoying tantrum if you don't let me do this."

Gibbs watched the bickering and interaction with a small smirk on his face. They kept forgetting that he was even in the room. They got caught up in each other far too easily. It was as he watched the younger man try to care for his stubborn daughter and fret over her injuries with sincere worry, that he knew that that ring on his daughter's finger meant the same to him as it meant to Kylie. They bickered like a married couple, but it was evident the feelings that they had for each other. Gibbs hadn't believed that they could love each other more than they already had since his last visit, but by God he was wrong.

He was happy his daughter had found someone. He believed that Sherlock Holmes was a good man, quirky, but a good man. His daughter adored him, and if she didn't want to get married, that was her choice.

Kylie finally stopped fighting Sherlock as he adjusted her sling, and settled on glaring at him as he did it. Gibbs watched as Sherlock looked at her and Kylie's eyes began to soften immediately as they just stared at each other. It was only when Kylie took a step towards him, with a look on her face that Gibbs had seen her only direct at the men she dated.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't shoot you for 'doing' my daughter," Gibbs said from his chair.

Kylie and Sherlock both jumped, once again forgetting that her father was in the room.

Sherlock blushed and just looked at Gibbs with confusion as Kylie turned bright red.

"Don't act like you didn't already know," Kylie told her father.

Gibbs didn't take his eyes off of Sherlock.

"Doing?" Sherlock asked, causing Kylie to turn an even deeper shade of red.

Gibb's stare turned into a half smirk as Kylie about died of humiliation.

"Sherlock just… leave it," Kylie muttered as she dragged him over to the couch.

Sherlock just looked as confused as ever as he sat next to Kylie.

"Now, you want to explain why you got all new furniture?" Gibbs asked.

"Redecorating?" Kylie lied…. extremely poorly….

Gibbs just stared at her.

"Our, flat may have gotten trashed.." Kylie said as she rubbed the back of her neck with her good arm.

"May have?" Sherlock scoffed, earning a look from Kylie.

"Who?" Gibbs asked quietly.

"We don't know," Kylie sort of lied, "Random break in."

"It wasn't… Oof," Sherlock began before Kylie's foot connected with his shin.

"Cahill trashed your flat?" Gibbs said as the anger began to fill his voice as he made the connection.

A knock at the door saved the day as Kylie hopped up, yelping in pain, as the door was a fine distraction for her father.

"Dr. Gibbs!" Witham greeted, not seeing her father behind her as he sauntered in, looking at his note pad.

"I'm glad you are here, I have a few more questions on your sexual habits with Mr. Holmes for my research on the two of you. Also, Jenny wants to try this new thing…." Witham began before he caught Kylie with wide eyes and saw a once more confused Sherlock.

"What?" he asked.

"Kylie," Gibbs growled, "What is he talking about?"

"Oh," Witham said cheerily as he walked over to Gibbs, "Dr. Jason Witham," he said as he extended his hand, "I'm their therapist."

Kylie was frozen in horror at the situation that was occurring her own flat.

"Therapist?" Gibbs asked anger in his voice as he glared at his daughter.

"Yes," Witham said happily, "I am writing a paper on their relationship and, oh goodness, are you Dr. Gibb's father?"

Gibbs didn't answer, "Paper?"

"I have a few questions for you if you wouldn't mind," Witham said as he hurried to get a pen out of his pocket as Gibbs stared at him with the infamous "Gibbs stare", "What was Kylie like when she was younger. Was she a happy child?"

Gibbs just looked at him.

"Right," Witham said turning back to his notes, "What about her trauma as a child, do you think that would affect her sexual relationship with Mr. Holmes here and was a reason why they just began to have coitus?"

Kylie wanted to kill herself on the spot. Witham was NOT asking her father about her mother's death and trying to make a connection between that and her sex life that her father did NOT need to be informed of.

Gibbs took a step forward, "WITHAM!" Kylie yelled before he could open his mouth once more, "We will call you later!" She said as she tried to shove him out the door as quickly as she could.

"You two NEVER return my calls," Witham argued as Kylie kept trying to shove him towards the door.

"I wonder why?" Sherlock said as he rolled his eyes.

As Kylie almost had him halfway across the room, the door opened once more as John and Mary entered the flat with their eyes shut along with Charlie who all had their hands outstretched in a joking fashion, as they couldn't see anything.

"Are you two going at it like jackrabbits or is it okay for us to open our eyes?" John asked with a smirk on his face and eyes closed.

"God knows the two of you are always having sex," Mary added with a laugh.

"I mean I definitely wouldn't mind seeing Kylie's fine ass naked," Charlie said with a smirk.

Mary grinned and opened her eyes only to suppress a laugh at the scene before her.

Kylie was looking at her with horror, as her face resembled the color of a London phone booth. She had a hand on Witham's face as she tried to shove him towards the door as Witham just stared at them with curiosity. Sherlock was just looking at them with slightly wide eyes as he shifted awkwardly on the couch

Kylie's father though looked as if he was about to kill someone as he slowly turned to his daughter and stared at her.

Kylie slowly looked at her father and gave a small, frightened laugh, "Uh, Dad you remember John, Mary, and Charlie…."

**Review?**


	102. Chapter 102

**So, sorry short one guys!**

**A huge thanks to Jumper guy for letting me bug him as much as I do and for putting me back on track when I get off! It is as appreciated as always. **

**Thanks to x-poisoncherry-x , DJbirdywantstofly (I get that. Idk why schools always seem to expect that?) thegirlwiththebrowneyes, chelgallifreya221B613,kie1993, fanfreak4ever, scarlettfrost, staacielou, sherlockian2205, gwilwillith, dianaleeholmes, bored411, and TVDAmnoSlover for their amazing reviews!**

**They are all VERY much appreciated!**

"Dad?" Charlie asked as he opened his eyes only to pale immediately at the stare Gibbs was giving him.

"Oh, hello Gibbs…. Sir…." Charlie said swallowing as John opened his eyes and suppressed a laugh at Kylie's misery, Sherlock's awkwardness, and Charlie's fear.

Gibbs turned his attention to the younger man as he slowly walked over to him threateningly, not saying a single word.

Charlie shrunk back, "how are you?" he asked nervously, trying to get away from the stare as Gibbs backed him into a corner, "You just pop down to say hi? I'm sure Kylie was glad to see you."

Charlie could no longer move as his back was against the wall, looking at Gibbs with nervousness.

"You think that my daughter has a 'fine ass'" Gibbs asked Charlie in a soft and dangerous voice as he stared at him.

Charlie swallowed, "Did I say that?" he asked nervously, "I uh, think that Kylie is a very beautiful woman…"

"You seen her 'naked' ass?" Gibbs asked him.

"No, sir," Charlie said nervously, "I mean Gibbs…" he said remembering that he hated the term sir, "I mean I have imagined it in my head countless times and that swim suit she used to wear running didn't help…" he began to ramble before he realized what had popped out of his mouth, "I mean I don't fantasize about your daughter. I would never do that. I mean she is hot as hell, but if she found out she would kick my ass. I mean…" Charlie rambled before Gibbs wacked the back of his head…. hard….

"Lesson learned," Charlie grunted in pain at the slap.

Gibbs then turned back to his daughter, staring at her angrily, "Jackrabbits?"

Kylie smiled nervously, "It was a joke…..ha ha…."

"Actually a healthy sex life…." Witham began before Kylie slapped her hand over his mouth forcing him to shut his mouth.

Gibbs glared at her before turning to Sherlock and glaring at him as he stared boredly at the scenario in front of him.

"You, with me," Gibbs told him before turning to leave the flat.

The room went silent as Sherlock rolled his eyes lightly before getting up off the couch and beginning to follow him out.

"Dad seriously!" Kylie argued before her father turned around at her, "I am an adult. I am perfectly capable of making my own decision when it comes to my relationships…"

"I think Thomas disproved that point," her father told her before he walked out the door with Sherlock right behind him.

Kylie just gaped, that was a low blow by her father…

***&^#&T& ^#**

Gibbs walked down the stairs and stopped at the bottom near where Kylie's old flat was now lay abandoned.

Sherlock stopped at the bottom as well and just looked at Gibbs with boredom as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms as a disapproving teenager with an attitude would.

"You and my daughter…" Gibbs began before Sherlock rolled his eyes.

"This… again?" Sherlock asked with annoyance and despair, "Your daughter is a grown woman perfectly capable of making her own decisions. And if you weren't so busy meddling in her own life maybe you could solve a few more cases, or stop that buffoon Kylie calls her brother from eating paste like a toddler."

Gibbs froze slightly in shock at the younger man's forwardness. He wasn't quite used to people talking to him like that.

"I just want to make sure…" Gibbs began once more after he regained his composure.

"What?" Sherlock scoffed with a partial smile on his face, "That she's safe? I assure you she is most likely safer with me than you based on the fact that you couldn't even stop your own wife and daughter from being killed by a Mexican cartel."

Gibbs hands went to either side of the younger man's blazer as Sherlock found himself (yet not surprised) thrown up against the wall.

"How dare you…"

"You don't even see the obvious that is right in front of you," Sherlock smirked at him, obviously not too thrown about being shoved up against the wall, "oh, you are such an idiot, just like everyone else. Shocker your daughter didn't turn out the same. Unlike you, she is actually competent…well, most of the time…"

Gibbs held the man against the wall, "You are smug aren't you?" he said in a low voice, "What am I missing that's so obvious?"

Sherlock's eyes glinted, this was the question he had been waiting for, "You obviously haven't forgiven yourself for what happened to Kylie's mother and sister, which in fact wasn't really due to the Mexican cartels, but actually due to the plot planned by Moriarty."

"Moriarty?"

"Yes, the same man who helped kidnap Kylie and forced me to fake my death before he shot himself one in the same…" Sherlock said dismissively as he glared at him in annoyance, "do catch up."

Gibbs glared at the man and opened his mouth before Sherlock cut him off once more.

"You rid yourself with guilt which manifests itself in obsessing over your only living daughter's well-being. Thomas managed to get through that hole due to your lack of observational skills and force me to clean up that mess for you, so yes, Kylie is in fact much safer with someone who is able to tell their arse from their head," Sherlock finished as he shoved a stunned Gibb's hands off of his blazer, brushing himself off.

"If you hurt her one more time…." Gibbs began.

"You'll what?" Sherlock scoffed once more, "Hurt me?" He joked sarcastically. "I have no intention on hurting Kylie, but maybe you should start looking out for the people who actually do instead of wasting your time making empty threats like a temperamental teenage girl."

Sherlock smirked once more before waltzing back up the stairs and into the flat leaving a slightly shocked Gibbs staring after him. He just stood there looking up at the door to the flat the younger man had just waltzed into.

Gibbs chuckled to himself as a smirk filled his face. The younger man not only cared for his daughter, he had only been acting "kind" toward him for his daughter's sake. The man was brilliant, and had probably been holding in that speech for ages. He saw through everyone in seconds, knowing every detail of their lives. Maybe Kylie was safer with a man who knew everything than with him?

The door to the flat opened once more as Kylie poked her head out looking down the stairs to see her father standing there.

"Oh no," Kylie said with dread as she began walking down the stairs, "What happened? Sherlock came in all smug, which means something happened by the look on your face."

Kylie reached the bottom and looked at her father, "Was he rude? I'm sorry Dad, we're working a tough case and he gets snippy sometimes…"

Gibbs just looked at her, a smile playing on his face.

"What?" Kylie asked.

Gibbs shook his head, "Nothing, just reminds me of when I met your Grandpa."

"Mom's dad?" Kylie asked with a raised eyebrow, "Why?"

"You are saying the exact same thing your mother told him about me," Gibbs smirked even more as he gently pulled his daughter towards him for a hug.

Kylie wrapped her good arm around her father, "Why? Were you rude and abrasive to Grandpa?"

Gibbs chuckled as he kissed his daughter's temple, "Something like that."

"So he was," Kylie muttered as she pulled away from him, "I'm going to kill him."

"Don't," her father told her, which stopped her in her tracks, "He cares about you and he's right."

"Right about what?" Kylie asked with a raised eyebrow, "he always thinks he's right."

"He's not?" Gibbs joked.

"No, I disprove him all the time," Kylie smirked, "though, he'll never admit it."

Gibbs laughed once more as he shrugged slightly.

Kylie just looked at her father.

"He cares for you, a lot Ky," Gibbs told her.

"I know," Kylie told him softly.

"You love him?" Gibbs asked.

"With my entire being," Kylie replied.

"You happy with that ring on your finger?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes," Kylie told him, "I don't need a dress. I just need him."

Gibbs looked at his daughter. When had she grown up this much? He just thought it was yesterday when she had her hair in pigtails and was begging him for ice cream after dinner before she went out in the backyard to play. How had she become the woman she was today so quickly?

"That's good enough for me," Gibbs told her before he kissed her cheek and began to walk back up into the flat.

**Review?**


	103. Chapter 103

**Okay, so first of all, I would like to apologize to everyone. I realize that my story has been complete and utter crap lately and that I have indeed changed Sherlock a little too much. I was trying to show it just with Kylie, but through good reasoning and much supportive evidence by Jumperguy, I have realized that I have. So, I apologize. I'm going to pull it back slightly just due to the fact that I have been writing…well, …..Crap. I reread most of it and was like, "this is terrible". So, its just going to change a little and the nature of Kylie and Sherlock's relationship will change a little also. **

**My apologies for the crap writing. Really though, I'm shocked I still have readers after a bunch of those chapters. **

_Black…? Why was everything black?_

_She was lying on something hard and cold, like… steel?_

_She opened her eyes and took in the scene around her. _

_No…. he couldn't do this to her. She trusted him, she loved him. How on earth could he do this to her?_

_She needed to help him; she needed to protect him; like he had done for her so many times before._

_And then, once he was safe, she was going to kill him…. She was going to kill Sherlock Holmes._

**24 Hours earlier…**

Kylie just sat staring at her father in an awkwardly silent room. John and Mary were sitting awkwardly in the corner as they looked around the room. Charlie was trying to avoid Gibb's gaze as he was playing with a rubber band in hand. Sherlock was seated at the table with his hands folded into his "thinking stance" as Gibbs just kept staring at the dark haired detective with a mixture of anger and amusement.

Witham on the other hand was looking around the room like a child in a candy store; absolutely loving every moment of it. He began scrawling on his note pad and looked at Gibbs for a moment in the silence.

"So, you have a problem with your daughter's sexual relationship?" Witham asked breaking the silence as everyone looked at him.

"You see I need background for the…." Witham began with an ignorant smile.

"SHUT UP!" Kylie, John, Mary, and Charlie all yelled at him at once.

Witham was slightly stunned and turned back to his notepad in silence.

Just then, Sherlock's phone rang. Without moving he glanced down at the name flashing across the screen before picking it up.

"Yes?" He answered, "Where?... we'll be right there."

Sherlock then got up and grabbed his and Kylie's coats, throwing it at her before putting his own on.

"Sherlock, what the…" Kylie began to argue before he groaned loudly and walked over to her and grabbed her by her good hand, pulling her up, causing her to wince at her ribs before picking up her jacket and throwing it over her shoulders and pulling her out the door.

"Where are you…?" John began before the flat door slammed shut leaving the rest of the group confused and bewildered.

"So…." Witham began once more as he turned back to Gibbs, "What was Kylie's childhood really like?"

Everyone in the room turned and glared at Witham in response.

**&*( *#) **

"Where are we going?" Kylie asked as she found herself being shoved into a cab.

"Crime scene," Sherlock informed her as he climbed in and told the cabbie the address.

"What crime scene?" Kylie asked.

Sherlock sighed, "Did you hit your head as well or do I need to explain everything to you? I thought you supposedly had a high IQ."

Kylie glared at him, "I do have a high IQ I'm just too busy imagining ways to cause you pain right now to read your mind."

"There's another Zodiac victim," Sherlock told her.

"Cahill killed someone else?"

"We don't know its Cahill," Sherlock told her.

Kylie gaped at him, "You were the one who said it was!"

"No, I said he wanted something on the Zodiac killer case, that's why he trashed Baker Street."

Kylie sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers, "So you think that the killer is not necessarily part of Cahill's squadron?"

"No."

"So you are now thinking that the killer is almost tormenting Cahill and killing his men. And he broke in thinking that we had a lead on it?" Kylie asked.

"Obviously," Sherlock told her.

"Really?" She asked with frustration, "Because you were convinced that he was doing this to his own people."

"No I wasn't," Sherlock told her as the cab began to slow, "I saw this all along."

Kylie gaped at him as he paid the cabbie and hopped out of the cab, "You really just can never admit you are wrong can you?"

"I never am wrong," Sherlock told her as she scrambled to catch up with him.

Kylie scoffed, "yes, that's why I disprove you all the time."

Sherlock looked at her before turning back to look where he was walking, "I let you believe that," he said matter of factly, "You need your 'ego stroked' every once in a while as John tells me."

Kylie just looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "Yeah… because that's so something you would do," she added sarcastically.

Sherlock just looked at her as they walked onto the crime scene to find a semi-distraught looking Lestrade.

"What happened to you?" Lestrade asked Kylie upon seeing her.

"She was an idiot," Sherlock told him as Kylie glared and then rolled her eyes.

"Long story," she told him, "What do we got?"

"It's just like the others," Lestrade told them as they walked into yet another abandoned warehouse, "the only difference is that this time we found traces of heroine."

They finally laid eyes on the body.

"How is this one just like the others?" Kylie asked as she gaped at the scene before them.

The body was sure enough skeletal, but there was hardly anything to see except for a forearm. Sure the forearm had similar symbols etched into it as the other victims did, but the rest of it was encased in a cement block, hiding the rest of the body from their view.

"Well," Lestrade said shifting, "I know that the others weren't necessarily found like this…"

"You think?" Kylie gaped as Sherlock bent down and began examining the cement.

"Well, obviously," Lestrade countered, "But I figured the two of you would get all hot and bothered over this."

Kylie looked at Lestrade as if he had lost his mind while Sherlock was scraping something on the cement block.

"Hot and bothered?" Kylie gaped, "you think that we have some weird sexual fetish don't you?"

Lestrade grinned at her before it was wiped away by the look she was giving him, "It was just something Charlie said…" he said shifting awkwardly.

"And what was that?" Kylie asked.

"Um…"

"Did Charlie tell you that we slept together?" Kylie asked causing Sherlock's head to snap upwards, "Because I have never slept with him. Charlie and I have always been partners and I don't be surprised when you find his body tonight because I am going to murder him myself."

"No, it was just uh… something he was speculating…" Lestrade told her.

Kylie sighed and rolled her eyes, "Of course he did. You know it really is none of your guys business what Sherlock and I do. I just wish you all could get over the fact that we are together."

Lestrade was gaping at her.

"What?" Kylie asked.

"Is that a ring?" Lestrade asked smiling broadly in disbelief.

Kylie groaned and rolled her eyes, "Not what you think it is," she told him. "Sherlock …" she said turning around only to find no one there.

Kylie frowned, he had just been here.

"Where'd he go?" She asked.

***&(*#) **

Charlie was walking out of Baker Street with his phone and smiling. Lestrade had just texted him and John and Mary were too busy trying to prevent Kylie's father form strangling Witham to come with. He had gotten his job back that was all that mattered.

He got his keys out and was stopped when he saw none other than Sherlock Holmes leaning casually up against his car.

"Oh, hey," Charlie said smiling at him, "Lestrade just texted me, though I thought you would already be there by now. You need a ride?"

Sherlock just kept staring at him.

Charlie frowned, "you alright?"

"Oh," Sherlock said with a cat like grin, "I'm fine…. You however…"

**^&&(**)#**

"What do you mean Charlie is in the hospital?" Kylie said into her phone as she got back into the cab she had waiting, "Look, I'm still trying to find Sherlock, God knows where he…" Kylie trailed off kicking herself, "Son of a bitch…"

"I'll meet you and my dad at the hospital John," Kylie told him over the phone, "There's something I have to do first."

Kylie sighed to herself. How in the hell had she not figured this out before? Sherlock had heard her make those comments to Lestrade. She knew he was slightly overprotective when it came to her, but seriously? Putting him in the hospital? Goddammit Sherlock.

Kylie paid the driver as they pulled back up to Baker Street, hopping out of the cab and walking up to the flat hoping that Sherlock would be there.

"Sherlock?" Kylie called as she strolled into the flat.

"No," Lola said from where she sat. She was different though, much calmer. Her pupils were dilated and a crazed grin covered her face. Her hands weren't shaking, she looked…better….

"Lola," Kylie said cautiously, "Where is he?"

"Not here," Lola told her as she stood up, her voice more steady and less crazed. Almost as if she was seeing through her drugged haze, "Which is good for me.

Now we can have some alone time Dr. Gibbs."

**Like I said before, thanks for those of you who bared with me through those horrible chapters.**

**Review?**


	104. Chapter 104

**Alright, so I know that last chapter was a huge change, that apparently a LOT of you hated due to the lack of feedback I received, but just know that that was the extreme and I did it for a reason. He will be an inbetween! I promise its not going to change that much. **

**A huge thanks to optimistic livvy for the honest feed back as well as Chelgallifreya (I hope you are doing better dear!), Gwillwillith, and Madsie for their words of encouragement as well as the girlwiththebrowneyes for her review!**

**Here's the next one…bare with me guys its going to get a little nuts here soon.**

"Oh God no," a female voice cried as he fought to breath.

So this is what death was like. A lot of pain and darkness. He wasn't ready to die, he had so much a head of him, especially now… He couldn't leave.

The familiar voice kept calling his name as he felt her soft hands press into the wound.

"Come on you idiot, pull through," the voice told him through her tears, "you cant leave me like this."

He didn't want to leave her; she had become a quintessential part of his life. He needed her, as much as he didn't want to admit it.

"Come on," the woman said once more.

He couldn't see, he could just hear other voices beginning to come around him and footsteps racing towards him.

"Help him, just please help him…"

He always knew that he wouldn't die of old age, especially with his career choice and the spot that he had landed back here in Britain. He thought he was going to die many times over the years and a short prayer of "Please God, don't let me die," always got him through it, but now… he knew death was on his door step, knocking, banging down the door.

He was going to die, and no miracle done by God was going to change that….

**20 Hours Earlier….**

John sat in the waiting room next to Kylie's father. Mary had been called to the crime scene to help Kylie and Lestrade with the body when he had gotten a call from the hospital telling him that Charlie had been found in an alley near Baker Street severely beaten.

John still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that he had been mugged so close to their home. Baker Street was in a relatively good part of London, plus Charlie was a large man. Not large in the grotose sense, but large as in tall and muscular. Charlie was about 6'4" and physically trained a lot more than 90% of the Yard. He knew how to fight and how to protect himself, how in the hell had he gotten his ass kicked?

"There's no such thing a coincidences," Kylie's father told him quietly beside him as he drank the coffee he had gotten.

John looked at him with furrowed eyebrows, "Pardon?"

Gibbs smirked, "there's no such thing as coincidence."

John thought about it, "What do you mean? I mean the only other thing that happened is Kylie cant find Sher….. Oh…"

Gibbs smirked at John groaned as he rubbed his temples.

"But why would Sherlock do this? I mean we don't even know that he did!" John argued.

Gibbs shrugged with a smile, "maybe its because he thinks that my daughter has a 'fine naked ass'?"

John sighed, this couldn't have gotten worse.

"But Charlie is Sherlock's…" John trailed off at the stupidity of his own sentence.

"Friend?" Gibbs asked with a grin.

"But he wouldn't…." John began before he stopped himself and pinched the bridge of his nose, "this is a nightmare."

Gibbs chuckled, "you his friend or his father?"

John laughed a bit at this comment, "more like his babysitter."

Gibbs took another sip of his coffee; "You and my daughter have your work cut out for you then."

John sighed, "He is a great friend though. As socially unacceptable as he can be sometimes, he does know what is right and wrong. And in the end, it's just his own way of showing how he cares."

Gibbs smiled into his coffee, "Why do you think I haven't murdered him yet for mistreating my daughter?"

**&^*#&( **

"Lola," Kylie said calmly as she looked warily at the same gun Lola had brought into their flat the time before, "I would love to talk with you, but you need to put the gun down."

"I can't do that whore," Lola told her with a crazed grin.

"I'm not a whore," Kylie told her, "Look, I think we got off to the wrong foot. Lets just calm down and have a good cup of tea and I will answer any questions that you want to ask about me."

"Shut up," Lola spat as she raised the gun to her, "I already know everything about you. Don't think that Cahill doesn't have spies among you. He knows what is best. He always knows what to do. He needs Sherlock back, and so do I. And you slut, aren't going to get in the way of that."

"I don't know what Cahill has told you Lola, but I can assure you he does not have your best interests in mind. He is taking advantage of you! He has taken over your mind with the drugs. You need help. Look, I know I rehab place around here, let me take you, let me get you help."

Lola began laughing at her, "I'm the one who needs help? No, Sherlock is the one who needs help. You actually believe that he is clean? Where do you think he goes all those nights when you go to sleep? Where do you think he goes when he is working cases?"

Kylie just looked at her. She was out of her mind, she couldn't believe this. She had ruined their relationship once by listening to others, and she wasn't about to do it again.

…_. Was he really using…?_

_STOP IT!_

"Oh, you have no idea who you are even sleeping with…." Lola said with a crazed grin.

"And you do?" Kylie snapped back.

Lola's grin faded, "I do what I have to."

"To what? Get more crack to ruin your body and mind?" Kylie said not really knowing what she was doing.

_Because pissing off a drugged out woman with a gun is the "smart" thing to do here…._

"Because that's _real sexy."_

Lola shot off a round barely missing Kylie as she lunged at her completely forgetting about her own injuries, taking her to the ground where they fought for the gun. Kylie managed to grab the gun before Lola began yanking on her hair.

_She really fought like a girl…._

There was a lot of scratching and yanking on Lola's part before Kylie got sick of it and sent a well placed right hook with her good arm to Lola's cheek before she scrambled up and removed the bullets from the gun while Lola lay on the ground whimpering slightly. Kylie tried to ignore the severe pain that was running through her body.

"He doesn't love you," Lola told her.

"Jesus, you aren't done yet?" Kylie asked rolling her eyes at her.

"He loves me!" Lola said as tears began to flow.

Kylie sighed and bent down next to the now crying woman, "Let me get you some help."

Lola just kept staring at her as she cried.

Kylie nodded and pulled out her phone, dialing a familiar number.

**^&$&(*# **

Kylie pushed her way through the hospital doors. Mycroft had had a car and an escort takes Lola to the rehab facility, ensuring her safety. Kylie knew she had done the right thing, but she couldn't help but wonder if Lola's words were true.

_Stop it Kylie… Don't do the same thing that Irene pulled on you. _

She sighed and pulled out her phone.

_Where are you?_

_-KG_

Pressing send, she prayed that Sherlock would respond. She just needed to make sure that Charlie was alright before going back to Bart's to help Mary with the body.

"Bout time you got here," Her father told her as she walked into Charlie's room to find John and him next to the bed where Charlie lay.

Kylie smirked as she felt relief wash over her body. Charlie was bruised and bandaged, but he wasn't casted at all. He had his ankle elevated as he lay there smiling and eating Jell-O only as Charlie could.

"My boyfriend really did kick the shit out of you, and you have about fifty pounds on him," Kylie told him.

Gibbs laughed as John smirked and Charlie gaped, "Okay, first of all, I was mugged…"

"Mugged," Kylie asked with a raised eyebrow, "I know Sherlock went after you." She sighed as she walked over and sat on the edge of his bed, "And as much as you annoy me, I am so sorry. I didn't know that he would do that or go super overprotective because I was talking to Lestrade and he implied that you said some stuff…"

"What stuff?" Gibbs asked.

"Nothing Dad," Kylie told him, "The poor guy already got beat up, I don't think he needs more."

"Anyhow, I'm so sorry Charlie," she told him as she ran a hand over his bruised face, "I never meant for you to get your ass kicked,"

"I didn't get my ass kicked," Charlie muttered, "You didn't see it."

"I'll talk to him okay?" Kylie told him.

"More like shoot him," John muttered, knowing full well that Kylie was pissed at Sherlock's actions.

Kylie just glanced at him before leaning over and kissing Charlie on the cheek.

"I have to run to Bart's," she told them, "Mary's already there trying to get out latest victim out of his cement grave."

"You just kiss and run?" Charlie asked.

"Shut up and be thankful I didn't smack you," Kylie grinned back at him before walking out, "See you lot later, and tell Sherlock if you see him I'm looking for him."

"You'll hear from him before we will!" John exclaimed as Kylie waved and walked out of the room.

**^*(#&() **

Kylie neared Bart's morgue door as her phone beeped twice, signaling she had a text.

She pulled it out as she walked down the hall.

_Following a lead_

_-SH_

At least he was safe…

_On the zodiac Killer case? What'd you get off the powder on the cement? …Don't think I didn't catch that. I am more observant than you think Mr. Holmes._

_-KG_

Kylie smiled at her own comment as she approached the door, hearing her phone go off immediately.

_Hasn't had a chance to run it yet. Headed to Bart's now. And I know you are observant…_

_-SH_

_Flirting…. its called flirting Sherlock. I was attempting to flirt with you._

_-KG_

_Why? It was a conversation._

_-SH_

_Because I love you and it's fun messing with your brilliant mind._

_-KG_

She needed to talk to him about what he did to Charlie. It was terrible and unacceptable, but right now, she couldn't help but mess with him for a bit. Nothing messed more with Sherlock Holmes' mind more than flirting…he just never understood what was going on.

Kylie smirked victoriously at her phone as she entered the morgue. She had shut him up for now…

"Dr. Gibbs!" An eager voice said as a young girl ran over to her, "Thank you so much for the opportunity to assist you with this case! I am so excited I can't even handle it!" Hailey squealed.

Kylie looked around. Every single on of her students were in the morgue helping chip away at the block of cement that the body was contained in.

Kylie gaped as she laid eyes on a sheepish looking Mary.

"Mary what the hell?" Kylie asked quietly as she walked over to her.

"I needed help and you were off to God knows where, so I may have sent an email to all of your students saying that if they helped it would be extra credit and an internship…."

"You WHAT?" Kylie gaped at her friend.

"I needed help!"

"Professor!" Bridget, another girl in the class asked, "Is this trace important?"

Kylie sighed, "Well, hey, at least we'll be able to get it done faster?" Mary said shrugging.

She had a huge headache coming on.

**So, as you can prob tell from the beginning, its going to begin to be like the hotel case once more in that format, so just bare with me through the turns of the plot!**

**Review? I know a lot of you hate me and my story right now, but please let me know what you think! I am open to well formed ideas and critiques!**


	105. Chapter 105

**A huge thanks to my reviewers:**

Sherlocked: Thanks so much! I know. What you said were my exact thoughts on the last couple of chapters. I really appreciate that and I appreciate the suggestions!

**Holmesiswheretheheartis: Yeah, I kind of enjoy this, but it will all make sense and come together in the end!  
**

**Staaacielou: its all good! I get it! And thanks for saying that! I really appreciate it!  
**

**Consulting demon: Thanks so much! Haha I think you are the only person to tell me that of late!  
**

**A huge thanks also to Gwilwillith, ChelGallifreya221B613, sherlockian2205, bored411, kie1993, thegirlwiththebrowneyes, and optimistic livvy for their reviews!  
**

**Here's the next chapter! Hopefully my writing is getting back on track! I feel this chapter is better, at least I am much happier with it…. Let me know.**

Dead.

He was dead.

She couldn't believe it. After all that they had been through together, after all the times he had pissed her off and been there for her, been there for her friends, been there for the man she loved…. he was dead, she loved him dearly, and now he was dead.

She gazed at his lifeless body in disbelief.

"Mum you need to step away," someone told her.

She just looked at her hands on his chest, covered in his blood.

"I'm a Doctor," she told the man trying to pull her away.

She had medical training. So what if she just worked on dead people?

"Mum…"

"NO!" She said, she couldn't let him die…. not here, not now… she needed him, they needed him to get out of this alive.

People called him other names, but brilliant was the only one that came to mind when she thought of him…

She needed to feel his heart beat beneath her hands. It just NEEDED to happen.

Please God, Don't let him die…

"Mum, he's gone," the man told her as he gently tried to pull her away, "we need to call time of death."

"No," she said as she shook her head, the tears flowing freely, "He can't be."

"I'm so sorry," the man told her, "But there's nothing we can do."

Gone…this great, wonderful, arrogant, brilliant man was gone forever… and it was all her fault.

**20 hours earlier….**

"I can't believe you actually hacked my email," Kylie muttered as she took a closer look at the forearm, torso, and part of the skull that her students had already exposed.

Mary grinned at her friend, "I needed the help!"

"I was on my way!" Kylie growled.

"How was I to know?" Mary asked.

Kylie glowered at the body. Mary had to laugh at her friend's annoyance.

"They shouldn't be touching the body," Kylie muttered to her.

"Look, we have interns help with evidence all the time," Mary replied, "All that they are doing is removing the cement while we are processing the evidence."

Kylie looked at Mary skeptically before she bent back over to look at the body once more.

The same symbols that were etched on the last two bodies covered this one as well, there was only one large difference, the word VIXI was carved down the middle of the sternum.

"VIXI?" Kylie asked pulling out the photos that she had practically memorized from the other two crime scenes.

"Yeah, I thought that was odd," Mary commented, "Was it on the other two bodies?"

"No," Kylie said skimming the photos before turning to look back at the partially exposed body, "this is new…"

"What is?" Halley said popping up next to her and looking over her shoulder, taking both Kylie and Mary by surprise, "Did you just break the case? I know you would have. You…."

"Halley…" Kylie said through gritted teeth, trying her best not to get angry with the young eager girl, "Can you please go away?"

"Oh…" Halley said, slightly deflated at not being allowed to assist.

"Why don't you go take photographs of that John Doe for me," Mary suggested to her before the young woman smiled and nearly ran over to the other body and began doing as Mary had instructed.

Kylie gave Mary a look.

"What?" Mary asked, "They wanted to help. Who says that just have to work this case?"

Kylie just laughed and shook her head at her friend as the door to the morgue opened and Sherlock stormed in, only to stop immediately as the room silenced quickly.

Every single one of the students were staring at Sherlock with a mixture of shock and awe with only Trent turning white with fear.

Sherlock on the other hand looked around at the students with confusion that turned into a stern look at the kids.

"Don't go off on them," Kylie told him before turning back to the body, "Its Mary's fault they are here, not theirs."

"Do you really think that they are competent enough to fill a saucer let alone touch evidence?" Sherlock asked harshly as he walked over to where Kylie stood, ignoring the hurt and taken aback looks of the students.

"My students are extremely bright and capable on anyone's standards," Kylie said not even looking up at him as her attention laid fully on the body.

"Except mine," Sherlock said before becoming distracted by the difference in the markings.

"No one is bright according to your standards," Kylie told him as she bent closer to the markings to ensure that her eyes weren't deceiving her.

"You are," Sherlock said quietly as he took out his magnifying glass and placed it over the markings to allow the both of them a better look, "Most of the time."

"Thanks," Kylie said looking up at him, "I think…"

Mary just smiled at her two friends as she stepped back to let them look at the exposed body fully.

"Are you going to lecture?" A hopeful Bridgett asked as Mary caught her eyes looking Sherlock up and down, causing her to snort with laughter.

"No, he's not," Kylie inputted as Sherlock looked over the body.

"But you said…."

"SHUT UP!" Sherlock yelled suddenly, causing everyone but Mary and Kylie to jump and Trent to literally hide behind a table, "Everyone just shut up. I need to think."

"Why don't you all leave," Kylie suggested, "Thank you for your help and we will discuss this on Monday."

The class muttered with disappointment and Trent essentially ran out of the room causing both Mary and Kylie to raise and eyebrow.

"What did you do to that poor kid?" Mary asked Sherlock who glared at her to inform her to be silent once more.

A smile played on Kylie's face as she looked back down at the body.

"VIXI," Kylie told him quietly, "It's the only new marking. And its not etched in acid like the rest of the markings."

"It was carved with a knife," Sherlock muttered before shutting the magnifying glass and looking at the carving with just his bare eyes.

"How come she can talk and I cant?" Mary asked as Sherlock held up a hand once more.

"Shut up," he snapped as he looked at Kylie.

"It was carved with a hunting knife by the look of the markings within the carving," Kylie told him.

A smile tugged at the corner of Sherlock's mouth before he gazed back down at the body.

"What does it mean though?" Kylie asked, "VIXI? A name? Place? Code?"

"Its Latin," Sherlock said as he looked over the symbols once more, pausing as he found another VIXI on the mandible.

"What does it mean?" Kylie asked.

"I have lived, I lived," Sherlock told her as he opened the mandible and peered in.

"It was a term they used on tombs wasn't it?" Mary asked, "I remember my Dad telling me that the Roman's used it for their dead."

"Oh my God," Kylie said as she peered into the mandible before looking up at Sherlock, horrified.

"What?" Mary asked puzzled.

"Did Cahill do that?" Kylie asked Sherlock, not hearing Mary.

"No, he's more of a fingers and eyes man," Sherlock said lightly.

"Seriously, it sucks trying to keep up with the two of you," Mary argued.

"Meaning…." Kylie continued.

"That the Zodiac killer isn't a part of Cahill's clan," Sherlock added.

"He's picking them off," Kylie finished.

"WHAT DID YOU FIND?" Mary yelled so that they would snap out of it and hear her.

Both Kylie and Sherlock looked at her slightly startled as Mary raised an eyebrow at them.

"The mandible and hyoid," Kylie told her pointing out the scrape marks.

"Yeah, it looks like someone dragged a sharp object across it," Mary said not understanding.

"More like scraping something out of it," Kylie told her darkly.

"No…." Mary said gaping at her.

"The killer scraped out our victim's tongue," Kylie told her, "all of it."

"Why not just cut out the dorsum?" Mary asked.

"To make a point, the killer took the whole soft palate and salivary glands, essentially gutting the entire lower mandible," Sherlock told her.

"But why?" Mary asked horrified.

"No idea," Kylie told her.

Mary opened her mouth to speak once more as the doors burst open once more and Brian and Halley entered the room looking pale and scared out of their minds.

"What are you two…"? Kylie began before four masked men entered the room holding AK47s to their back and pointing them at the three of them.

"Hands up," a large masked man said who limped in. Kylie recognized the voice, it was the same man who had talked her, nearly killed her, and then let her go. She couldn't help but take a step closer to where Sherlock stood.

"Over there," Another man with a heavy Irish accent ordered.

None of them moved.

"You okay?" Kylie asked Brian and a now crying Halley.

"NOW!" The man ordered again.

Mary, Kylie and a reluctant Sherlock slowly moved to the far side of the exam table.

"Let them go," Kylie told them.

"Shut up," Another one spat.

"What do you want?" Mary asked.

The Irish man turned his gun on them. Sherlock stepped in front of Kylie and part of Mary.

"I can see we have a problem," Sherlock said calmly.

"You have something of ours," The large man growled.

"And what would that be?" Sherlock asked with a smug smile.

"Sherlock," Kylie said warningly as she put a hand on his hip, freezing as she felt his pocket.

…_God this man was brilliant…._

"The body," the large man said.

"And Cahill wants to talk to you and your girl," The Irish man said as the other two men nudged Brian and Halley forward and to the ground before they began to move the exam table out of the room.

"Which one?" Sherlock asked bluntly causing Kylie to glare at him.

"What do you mean which one?" Kylie said through gritted teeth.

"I said Shut it bitch," The Irish man said pointing his gun at Kylie who was still standing behind Sherlock.

"I believe you need to watch your mouth," Sherlock said calmly.

"Or what?" The man scoffed stepping closer to Sherlock as Kylie slipped her hand into his jacket pocket.

"Or you'll have a headache," Sherlock said with a smile.

"A head…." The man began to laugh as he lowered his weapon to the side causing Sherlock to leap to at the opportunity, head-butting the Irish man on to the ground, knocking him out cold as Kylie drew her glock from his pocket firing two rounds at the masked men carrying the table before they could even fire off a round, hitting them both in the shoulder.

"Move and I'll shoot," Kylie said turning her gun on the large man as Sherlock took the gun from the two men on the ground that Kylie had shot.

"Drop it," Kylie told him.

The large man looked at her before setting his gun on the ground.

"Brian, Halley," Kylie called out to them, "You two alright?"

"Yeah," Brian said as he pulled a hysterical Halley into his arms, "Yeah we're fine."

"Are there more of you?" Sherlock asked the large man.

He just remained silent before Sherlock pressed the gun into the man's back, "I would answer if I were you," Kylie told him.

"No," he said.

"Why do you want the body?" Kylie asked.

"Someone is after the cartel," the man told them.

"We know," Sherlock told him as he circled the man.

"Cahill wants them ended, and we have to find them first," The man told him.

"That's why he wants Sherlock," Kylie said putting two and two together.

"One of a couple of reasons," the man said quietly as his clan-mates groaned in pain on the ground.

Sherlock's eyes met his.

"He wants to speak with you," the man told him.

"I'm not interested in speaking," Sherlock told him promptly.

"He has something that you want," the man told him.

"What could he have that I would possibly want?" Sherlock scoffed.

"Lola," the man suggested.

"We had a falling out," Sherlock responded.

"How about a certain taxi driver," the man said.

Sherlock paused as his head slowly turned to him.

"Taxi driver?" Mary asked quietly.

"Served to you on a platter," the large man told him.

"Take me to him," Sherlock told him promptly.

"Sherlock," Kylie argued as the man nodded and began to walk out of the room Sherlock close behind, forcing Kylie to shoot her students one more glance before rushing after him.

Mary watched them leave before turning to look at Brian and Halley before following after them.

**^*&& (#) ***

"This is stupid," Kylie whispered to Sherlock as they walked down the now darkened streets of London that were quickly getting darker as the sunset, "This reeks of a trap."

"It's the same man who let you go instead of killing you," Sherlock whispered back to her as they followed him, Mary close behind them.

"Just because he works for your brother doesn't mean he's trustworthy," Kylie bit back, "God knows Cahill's not."

"In here," the man said holding the door open to a raggedy looking flat.

Sherlock walked in as Kylie and Mary followed, pausing at their shoes his the damp, creaky floorboards.

Mary paused and stopped to look at the large man who had removed his mask. The man just looked at her darkly, urging her forward with a light shove as he escorted them through the building from behind.

Mary gently ran into Kylie's back as her and Sherlock had stopped suddenly. The breath caught in Mary's throat. Kylie was right this was a trap.

Mary heard the click of a gun trigger being pulled back before something hit her head hard from behind.

…. And everything went black…

**Review?**


	106. Chapter 106

**A massive thanks to my amazing Reviewers! I seriously adore you guys!**

A huge thanks to thegirlwiththebrowneyes, skywrites,sherlockian2205, my guest reviewer, chelgallifreya221B613, gwilwillith, kie1993, and bored411 for their reviews!

**Sorry this one is so short! The next one will be hopefully longer!**

He sprinted down the dark streets of London. He couldn't lose them now…. not now, with so much at risk.

He chased after the van as fast as he could. All of the answers lay in that van…the way to end this, to save everyone he cared about.

His feet couldn't keep up anymore as the van skidded around the corner. He racked his brain for another way to cut the van off; it would just really help if he knew where the van was headed.

He couldn't let this happen. If that van went to its destination, thousands of lives were at stake…thousands of people were going to be killed.

"Look out!" some one yelled behind him.

He turned just in time to jump out of the way of a motorbike roaring towards him. He hit the ground hard, groaning at the force of the impact on the cobblestone.

"You alright?" a young man on his motorbike asked stopping next to him. He looked up to see the motorbike that had knocked him down roaring after the van. Was that…

It was…. Dear God this was deeper than they all thought.

**15 hours earlier…**

Kylie heard a gun click from behind her only to hear a something heavy hit the floor.

She turned around to see Mary on the ground and the large man pointing a gun at them menacingly.

"Mary…" Kylie said as she made a move towards Mary only to have Sherlock grab her arm, keeping her where she was.

"Calm down Doctor," Cahill said as he took another bite of his dinner from the table where he was surrounded by men, all pointing the same AK47s at them that they had seen in Bart's, "She'll be fine. I promise…"

"Sorry for not taking your word for it," Kylie told him as she stood next to Sherlock, trying her damnedest not to cling onto him.

Cahill smirked slightly as he cut into his steak even more, taking a bite of the rare meat.

"What do you want?" Sherlock asked calmly, "I believe you have something that I want."

"A deal Sherlock," Cahill told him as he pushed the table away from him, "I want my deal."

"Your deal?" Kylie asked quietly.

Sherlock put a hand on her to silence her once more, "I think you know my parameters."

Cahill rolled his eyes and sighed as he looked at his former right hand man, "I could guess. Don't hurt the girl, and this is your one and only case?"

"What is he talking about?" Kylie whispered.

"We used to be good Sherlock," Cahill told him as he stood up, "I made you what you are today. You are great because of me."

"He is great," Kylie told Cahill, "He always has been. Don't let your drug ridden delusion tell you otherwise."

Sherlock sent Kylie a look before Cahill smiled at her, "you are darling aren't you? You have no idea what the man you go to bed with used to be at all do you?"

Cahill then turned to Sherlock, "can't even keep your girl on a leash? I have to say I do like this one, but Lola was much better for you."

"Who…" Kylie began.

"Do we have an agreement?" Cahill asked Sherlock ignoring Kylie completely.

Sherlock just looked at him. He was about to make a deal with the devil.

"Yes," Sherlock told him.

Kylie just looked at Sherlock with confusion before Cahill nodded at his men. The large man put a burlap bag over her head and two other men grabbed her, zip tying her hands together as she struggled.

"SHERLOCK!" Kylie yelled as Sherlock just watched the men throw the screaming and struggling Kylie over their shoulders before the large man gave him a look as he picked up Mary's unconscious body, following the others out of the building.

Sherlock could hear Kylie's yells from outside. He shut his eyes and hoped he was making the right decision. He knew he was, but he couldn't help but feel doubt at the sound of her screams.

"You've gone soft Sherlock," Cahill noted as the large man as well as another one of Cahill's men walked in behind him, "You never used to be… emotional… the woman's made you soft. Lola was better for you, at least she didn't change you."

"She hasn't," Sherlock told him.

"Oh, because that was due to the drugs," Cahill said with sarcasm.

"Something like that," Sherlock said calmly as Cahill made eye contact with one of the men behind him.

"Too bad, you were always better on the drugs," Cahill said as the large man grabbed Sherlock from behind and a cloth covered his mouth.

Chloroform…

Sherlock's world went black.

**^&*()#*) **

Sherlock's world was spinning. It was light. He felt warm, as if he were wrapped in a blanket. He had no worries, no inhibitions, no pain, no…. thoughts….

This was familiar…too familiar.

Sherlock opened his eyes and let out a sigh as he saw the concrete ceiling. He couldn't move, his body felt heavy as numbness raged through his body.

His head lolled to the side to see that he was lying in a cell, his jacket had been removed. His eyes dropped down to his arm… A tourniquet was tied around his bicep and a dark needle mark lay in the vein on his forearm.

Heroine…. this was heroine….

Sherlock fought the numbness and blankness of his mind. He needed his mind right now; the last thing he needed to do right now was relapse. Cahill knew the addiction drove him. Heroine had an extremely high addiction factor. After one use, it could cause an addiction, let alone the effect that it would have on someone who used to use. His cocaine addiction had been a joke to break after he dealt with heroine. The withdrawal was terrible not to mention the crazed addiction…

Heroin was running through his veins and his body was giving into the euphoria.

He knew he was hooked….

***& (#*) **

John shook his head as he hung up the phone once more, "None of them are picking up."

Gibbs just looked at him as Charlie walked out of the room…well…. gimped…

"Ready?" Charlie asked with a smile on his face, "I just got the all clear…. what?" he asked upon seeing the look on their faces.

"Kylie, Mary, and the guy who wailed on you aren't answering their phones," Gibbs said as he began to walk out of the building.

Charlie shut his eyes and sighed, "You know she never got into this much trouble when I was her partner," he stated before he and John quickly followed him.

***() #*( $#**

Sherlock just stared at the wall as his head was lolled to the side. He had no clue how much time had passed. The drugs were tricking his mind. Whenever he had shot up he would think that minutes had passed when it had been hours.

He heard footsteps through his drug induced haze and saw shiny leather shoes out of the corner of his eyes. The shoes approached him and he saw the body attached to the shoes crouch down next to him.

He somehow was rolled over; the person must have rolled him. He couldn't tell with his whole body numb like this.

Cahill's face appeared above him, grinning down at him.

"Now, there's the Sherlock Holmes that I know," Cahill said with a grin, "Feel better?" he asked.

Sherlock let out another sigh as he tried to talk, but found he couldn't. His body was too relaxed to make any contractions; his breathing was already severely shallowed.

"Just like old times," Cahill told him with a smile, "Now, we can get back to where we left off. I own you Sherlock Holmes, and don't you forget it."

**Review? **


	107. Chapter 107

**Okay, sorry for ANOTHER short one!**

**I just have to say, I am sorry for the fact that the time frame on this story is confusing. I am skipping around on the beginning, and the actual story is chronological, but it is slightly off as I am telling a story from the view of a bunch of people who create the little groups that you see.**

**So just bare with me! It will make sense I promise!  
**

**A huge thanks to my reviewers also!  
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**Thanks to Jumperguy, bored411, sherlockian2205, skywrites, thegirlwiththebrowneyes, gwilwillith, holmesiswherehterheartis, kie1993, and chelgallifryea221B613 for their AMAZING reviews! I appreciate your guys support so much! For real, there's been a couple of times including recently that I have debated whether or not I was going to continue so I really appreciate your support!**

**Here's the next part! I hope you enjoy!**

The older man opened his eyes, groaning at the pain he felt.

He hadn't moved…. That was strange.

He tried to move his arms only to find that he was cuffed to the metal bar. He couldn't help but smirk, clever girl… but then again, she always had been.

He looked around the room for any sign of her, only seeing emptiness that was on the cargo space of the plane.

He heard the engine start up. They were taking off.

He struggled against the restraints. Sure he was amused by her cleverness, he always had been, but right now, she was being an idiot. He had tried to protect her, and he was in charge of that protection. He wasn't about to let her go rushing into danger after the man she loved.

The younger man had been right, she was safer in his care, but the he had brought him into ensure that safety.

He needed to find her. She had no idea what she was getting herself into.

He needed to find her before it was too late.

**6 hours earlier….**

Gibbs, John, and Charlie rushed into Scotland Yard only to find Lestrade on his way out of the Yard, Donovan in tow.

"Dear God man," Lestrade said upon seeing Charlie bruised and stitched, "What happened to you?"

"I got…mugged," Charlie said in a quiet embarrassed voice.

Donovan began to look over Charlie's wounds causing John and Lestrade to both give them weird looks.

"You alright?" Donovan asked him.

"You two are shagging?" John asked without even trying to hide his disgust.

Both Charlie and Donovan looked at him as Lestrade shut his eyes and shook his head.

"I don't want to know," he told them before turning to Gibbs and John, "What's the rush, we were just coming to get you lot."

"Kylie, Sherlock and Mary aren't answering their phones," John said as Gibb's phone began going off.

"What? Where are they?" Lestrade asked as Gibbs held the phone at an arms length to look at the number.

"If we knew, ya think we'd be standing here?" Gibbs asked before he picked up his phone and walking down the hallway a little ways.

Lestrade just gaped at John, "They just disappeared?"

"After Sherlock kicked Charlie's arse," John added.

"Sherlock did that?" Lestrade asked before shrugging, "I actually saw that one coming based on how many comments Charlie makes about her body."

"Come on," Gibbs told them as he walked past them.

"To where?" John asked before following.

"I know where Kylie and Mary are," Gibbs said as he walked out.

***()#)(#  
**

Kylie fought against her restraints as she was shoved in the back of a van. She had no clue where the van was heading. She was keeping track of every turn, hoping that she could figure out where on earth they were headed.

The van took another sharp right after about twenty minutes before coming to a stop. Kylie tried to sit up, finding it difficult with a bag over her head and her hands zip-tied behind her back. She felt a leg next to her…. Mary…

"Mary," Kylie whispered, attempting to see if she was awake.

The door opened and Kylie felt herself being yanked out of the van and thrown to the ground.

"I believe the terms were not to hurt the girls," a calm and familiar voice said as Kylie heard the other person climb back into the van and jumping out, dropping what Kylie assumed was Mary's body.

"They'll live," the man that Kylie recognized to be from the warehouse, "Call your men back or I will shoot their pretty little heads."

"Stand down," the calm voice ordered once more before Kylie heard the van door open once more and drive off sending up dust. Kylie felt the ground, she was sitting in dirt…. where in the hell was she?

She heard footsteps walk over to her as she began to try to scoot away; she had no idea who was on the other side.

The bag was lifted up and light flooded her eyes from the flashlights that were shining around her. Kylie blinked a few times before she gazed up at the calm-voiced man.

"Miss Gibbs," Mycroft greeted.

"Mycroft?" Kylie asked, totally confused, "What…. Sherlock," She told him as panic hit her once more, "They have Sherlock."

"I am aware of that," Mycroft told her, "he actually informed me of this for once… which is why I am very sorry I have to do this, but its for your own safety."

"Mycroft, what…" Kylie began before one of Mycroft's men came over with a syringe as Mycroft placed the bag over Kylie's head once more, sticking her with the needle.

Kylie couldn't even speak as darkness overtook her body and she fell unconscious to the ground.

**^*(#)# **

Mycroft sighed as he stood up, gazing at the two unconscious women on the ground. This wasn't his first choice, but he knew it wasn't his little brother's either, but it was the only one that would keep Kyleigha Gibbs safe.

"Let's take them inside," Mycroft told his men as he turned and walked into his home. Kylie and Mary both would be unconscious for about five hours longer. He just had to complete the plan that he and his brother had discussed, and make them as comfortable as possible until they could be moved.

Mary was to stay with him while Kylie on the other hand…well; he needed to begin this process.

Mycroft pulled out his phone as the two women were laid down on the couches in the living room.

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs I Presume?" Mycroft said into his phone as the recipient picked up, "Your daughter is safe, but I have a message from my brother for you."

**^&*&() (_ **

Sherlock groaned. The numbness was going away and pain was taking its place. He shut his eyes and tried to calm himself as much as his still hazy mind would allow him to.

He was already feeling symptoms of withdrawal after one use. He had hear that once you relapsed with Heroine, the withdrawal and addiction came back stronger than ever.

He felt his muscles begin to cramp and bones begin to feel as if needles were being shoved through them. He needed more; he wanted this to go away…

The addiction was hitting him worse than when he was at his worst with the heroine. At least when he had been using them, he had been able to take it less frequently because of the cocaine. He alternated between them as an upper and a downer, but the heroine addiction had hit him the hardest. Even when he had been on the cocaine, he had a massive craving for the heroine.

He heard the footsteps once more as he felt his body begin to shake once more.

"Time to go," he heard Cahill say as he pulled out a needle once more.

"No…" Sherlock muttered helplessly as he still couldn't move as he was still coming off the high.

The needle hit his vein as Cahill injected the drug into his system. Sherlock felt the cocaine hit his bloodstream. Instant euphoria covered up most of the pain as some still remained. He felt his brain reboot instantly, as it began running at 100 miles per hour once more.

He shut his eyes as he willed the Euphoria to go away. He wasn't going to go through this again. He had Kylie; she did the same things to him that these drugs did. He didn't need the dependency, he didn't need the drugs, and he had NEVER needed the drugs.

"Just like old times," Cahill said with a smile, "Come on," he said pulling him up and standing him shakily on his feet, "We have work to do."

The large man grabbed Sherlock by the arm and pulled him over to a van that was in the parking lot that the cell was sitting in.

The man shoved him in the van where the two men that were sitting in there, grabbed him, sat him down and thrusted a bag over his head.

"Just sit there," Sherlock said hearing Cahill's voice once more as the van door shut, "We'll be there soon, and I'll need your skills…you better not let me down Sherlock, or I'll have no choice but to hunt down that pretty little girlfriend of yours…"

**Review?**

**And if you guys want couples counseling and Damages and reparations, let me know and give me prompts!**


	108. Chapter 108

**A huge thanks to my reviewers!  
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**TheMagentaColor: I completely agree with you. I don't get the appeal at all either, but yeah…. I just don't get it…. Thanks so much for reading though!**

**Oreal770: You will see… IT will all make sense soon! And yeah, the withdrawal will be a factor. Thanks so much for reading! Your reviews are always appreciated!  
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**ChelGallifreya221B613: Hahahaha…. You'll hate him more….just wait..**

**Gwilwillith: You are always so encouraging! Thanks so much love!  
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**Alovelycupofcoffee: Thanks so much my dear! That really means a lot! And I will try to continue damages as soon as I have some inspiration for it! Hahaha**

**Staaacielou: I know it's confusing, but hopefully you'll start to make connections soon! And I'm sorry you hate me hahahahaha. Hopefully you wont much more after this chapter!  
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**Bored411: Thanks so much! I really appreciate the encouragement! Sorry I am all about cliffy's right now!  
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**A huge thanks to all my readers. I know that I am torturing you guys right now with all of these cliffhangers! It will all make sense soon! We are quickly approaching the point where it begins to overlap!  
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**Enjoy!**

Big Ben.

In the middle of London, Big Ben. It was next to the government of Britain. The parliament was in session. How in the HELL were they supposed to get the entire British government out?

If they were to succeed, this would most likely be the largest terrorist attack Britain had ever seen. He still didn't understand why, but who knew with psychopaths?

He hung up his phone and cursed to himself as he sped down the road, sirens roaring. Why wasn't he picking up? He bloody ran the British government and he wouldn't even take calls when there was a terrorist attack? What happened to helping Scotland Yard?

He needed his team. If they were ever going to prevent this…he needed his team.

He checked his watch. They had an hour…. only an hour before a bomb went off in the middle of London, sending the British nation to its knees.

**5 hours earlier…**

Lestrade cursed to himself under his breath as he sped down the dirt country rode.

"What in the hell were they thinking?" Lestrade said angrily as he looked at Gibbs, Charlie, and John.

"Why does Kylie do anything?" Charlie asked.

"Because she is stubborn as hell and needs to use her brain before she charges after drug Lords," Gibbs said furiously.

He was pissed at his daughter for being as idiotic enough to run in on a case with a drug Lord involved. She knew the dangers of Ardan Cahill, she had the file, and yet she had to go in due to a case.

"Yeah well if Sherlock hadn't been involved with him all those years ago, I don't think this would be happening right now," Lestrade said as he turned the corner on the dirt road.

"What…" Gibbs growled. That younger man had gotten in his face about how Kylie would be safe with him, and now he had her drawn into a drug Lord? Granted she was safe right now, but he had been the reason she had called in for that file.

Lestrade paled slightly, he had figured Kylie had told him. She told her father everything…

"Uh, I meant…" Lestrade began nervously.

"How was he involved?" Gibbs growled.

Jesus, her father was frightening.

"He um, used to be Cahill's right hand man. That's how I met him. I arrested him several times for procession and brought him in for questioning about the cartel."

"He used to use?" Gibbs asked.

"Sherlock did?" Charlie gaped, "Never would have guessed that…"

"Look, its not something he probably wants floating around, so can we just get over the fact that he used to use…key word being USED to. He's clean now, and that's all that matters," John told them all.

The car was silent for a moment as Gibbs just stared at John.

"You sure my daughter isn't going to end up hurt and broken hearted once more?" he asked John quietly.

"His past with drugs isn't a problem," john told him staring the older man in the eye, "He has Kylie, and I think that's all he needs."

Gibbs just stared at John as Lestrade slowed the vehicle to a stop in front of a large country home, the men clambering out of the car and walking up to the door.

"It's a mansion?" Charlie said staring up at the grand country home.

"Apparently," Gibbs stated gruffly before walking past Lestrade, Charlie, and John and walking up to the house.

Lestrade raised an eyebrow at the older man's boldness before following him up to the door.

Gibbs walked in without even knocking and waltzed into the home walking down the foyer into the living room.

"Most people usually knock," Mycroft said with a smile as he sat in the living room in front of a fire.

"Most people don't have their daughters kidnapped by drug Lords," Gibbs bit back, "Where is she?"

"She and Miss Morstan are being attended to," Mycroft said standing, "Miss Morstan has a rather nasty head wound…"

"Where is she?" John said slightly panicking; he hadn't realized she had been hurt.

"She's fine John," Mycroft told him, she's just in the other room.

"Where?" John asked quickly, he wanted to check her over, make sure she was alright.

"I'll take you to them," Mycroft said sighing as he stood up and walked past them.

The rest of the men followed quickly as Mycroft led them up the stairs and into a room where an older woman was looking over Mary.

"Oh God," John whispered as he saw both Kylie and Mary laying unconscious on two twin beds.

He rushed over and began examining Mary's wound, lightly pushing the older woman away.

"Mrs. Jones, here will continue to look after Miss Morstan," Mycroft informed them.

"She has a rather bad concussion I'm afraid," Mrs. Jones added.

"No offense, but how do you know?" John asked as he began checking all of Mary's vitals.

"I'm a retired trauma nurse," Mrs. Jones told him.

"I assure you she's one of the best," Mycroft said with a smile.

"What about Kylie?" Charlie asked as he father was sitting on the bed looking at her.

"Miss Gibbs has been sedated for the time being. It will make moving her easier," Mycroft told them.

"Moving her?" John asked.

**^*(&(# )  
**

Sherlock sat in the van, willing his mind to calm down as it raced like a raging rocket ship with the influence of the cocaine in his system. He needed to keep track of the turns, he needed some control on the situation, and figuring out where he was would do that for him.

Left, immediate sharp right, steady line for about a mile, left again. Stop; most likely traffic light.

Quantum mechanics.

Organic chemistry.

Acid-base reactions.

FOCUS!

Right, speed slows, continue at a faster speed…

Sherlock kept trying to focus his rapidly speeding mind, trying to shake the feeling of the drugs. They continued driving for what Sherlock believed to be about twenty minutes when the van slowed to a stop.

"Get him out," Cahill ordered.

Sherlock felt the large man grab him by the arms and pull him out of the van and set him on his feet outside, pulling the bag off of his head.

Sherlock squinted at the light and tried to reestablish equilibrium within himself as the combination of drugs and haze while the disorientation of a blindfolded car ride and darkness.

"Come now Sherlock," Cahill said grinning as he removed his gloves, "we have a meeting to attend."

Cahill turned and began to walk in the abandoned warehouse towards another room with a flickering light. Sherlock was thrown forward as the large man shoved him forward, forcing him to follow Cahill.

Sherlock followed the pace as he looked around the room trying to take in every detail as his mind bounced from chemistry, to the room, to Kylie, to the anatomy, to the room. It was as if his focus was lost completely.

He reached the end of the corridor as he walked into the room.

"Bout time you bloody got here Cahill," A woman said as she sat in a chair gazing at the men in the room.

Sherlock looked at her as she smiled at him like a Cheshire cat. She stood up, making her skintight blue dress tighten even more around her long thin frame.

"I see you brought your good'ol boys," the woman joked as her eyes raked over the group.

"You told me to bring my best," Cahill told her, "that's what I did."

"You have to prove it first," the woman said as she sauntered towards the group, her hips swaying as her heels clicked on the cement.

Sherlock tried to focus his mind. She was wearing clothes that fit her extraordinarily well, tailored, designer and tailored or especially made. Her severe haircut that had been died jet black and glossy was "stylish" as well. Someone who wants to stand out yet bled in.

"Give me a job, and I'll do it," Cahill told her.

The woman smiled as she turned to him, her lipstick-stained lips turning up at the corners, "You want my guarantee of the extension of your reach?"

"Of course," Cahill told her, "anything."

"I need to know that you will do anything," the woman said looking him in the eye, "I am only as loyal to you as you are to me."

"Understandably," Cahill told her, "I've been in this business long enough to know that."

"You also know what I can do to you," The woman said as she turned her back to him, "I believe you have already seen the work of one of my men."

Cahill froze as Sherlock's mind began leaping.

"You mean…" Cahill gaped.

"Oh yes I do," the woman said smiling at him as she lit a cigarette, "The zodiac killer I believe you have been calling him?"

Cahill just gaped. There wasn't much that could make Ardan Cahill freeze, but this had to be one of them.

"I had to show you what I can do to people who betray me. You didn't even realize that you had your own people betraying you," the woman told him calmly, "That's rule number one of this enterprise, make sure that all are loyal. I have a team of… well let's just say they are very skilled men… ready to ensure that for me."

Cahill swallowed nervously.

"Just know, that if you don't do exactly as I say, I will bring your whole operation under and kill each and every single one of your men down and then kill you in a very slow and precarious fashion. I will ensure it," the woman smiled at him.

"Miss Hunter," Cahill said slightly nervously, "I can assure you that…"

"Oh shut up," Miss Hunter snapped at him, "I don't need to hear you quibble. Just that you will be a loyal man and do what I say without question when I ask it of you. Do that, and I promise you Ardan Cahill, you will be the most powerful man in Britain."

Cahill was silent for a moment.

"What do you want?" Cahill told her, "What do you want me to do to prove myself?"

"You said you have a man who can see through people?" Miss Hunter asked.

"Yes," Cahill said glancing at Sherlock.

The woman smiled, "I didn't think you'd bring me the great Sherlock Holmes."

She walked over to him, "Didn't think you'd be the type to do drugs."

"He works better this way," Cahill told her, "And he's more…compliant."

"Hm," the woman said grinning, "Moriarty spoke highly of you. Thomas did too…well, I just think he was jealous."

Sherlock's eyes snapped to her's, "You worked with them?"

"Oh no, darling," the woman laughed, "lets just say we had a…friendly rivalry."

"Opposing consulting criminal," Sherlock told her as he blinked trying to focus once more, "Interesting."

The woman smiled, "Violet Hunter, so lovely to meet you Mr. Holmes. I was hoping you would like to play a role in the start of World War Three. Moriarty would be so proud."

**So just an FYI, Violet Hunter is a character from ACD's books for those of you who don't know. She is sort of speculated to be a "light-weight" Irene character, but I am sort of spinning her off. I know this is not how she appears in the novels, but to my credit, Irene Adler was also not a dominatrix in ACD's books. Thanks to Moffat and Gattis, I believe that I have some artistic leeway: D**

**Review?**


	109. Chapter 109

**A MASSIVE thanks to my AMAZING reviewers!**

**BekCholie: I'm shocked that you actually know who Violet Hunter is! No one really knows about her! I PMed you my answers! I appreciate everything that you wrote in that! Helps me keep everything in perspective!**

**Bored411: I'm shocked you know who she is as well; I really didn't think that anyone would know! But glad to hear you are stoked to see her!**

**Thegirlwiththebrowneyes: You are part right!... Damn you for reading my mind…**

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**Alovelycupofcoffee: hope it was a good shriek/gasp! A surprise in a good way I mean!**

**Gwilwillith: thanks so much! **

**Alright guys! Here's the next chapter! Sorry it's short! It's a needed chapter to begin to tie everything together!**

**Enjoy!**

Screaming.

That's all he could hear was screaming. Pure fear emanating around him.

He whirled around in the middle of the street. Chaos had imploded and taken over central London. Women, men, and children were running with their belongings as fast as they could to get away.

He gazed up at the London landmark seeing the hands on the clock 11:55... They had five minutes to stop this disaster before it happened. The entire British government was locked in parliament along with his friends.

He hit the ground as a large man ran into him. Footsteps raged all around him as he tried to scramble to his feet without getting trampled by the people around him.

He had a task to complete. It needed to be done.

He pushed himself up and looked around; that's when he saw her. The woman he loved... From across the crowded square. She was standing on the fountain as to get a better view. Her eyes met his as their gaze locked.

She called his name as she jumped off the fountain and sprinted towards him. He tore his gaze from her and sprinted in the other direction. He wanted nothing more than to run towards her and take her into his arms, but he couldn't he had a job to do.

A duty.

He just wanted to tell her that he love her one more time. He didn't tell her often enough. He had never believed in last words. It just didn't logically make sense to him, but right now, he knew what he wanted his last words to be to her.

He pulled out his phone as he slowed and rounded a corner, typing a single message.

_I love you. Don't ever forget that._

He let out a shaky breath as he put the phone back in his pocket. He knew it would break her heart... But he was almost damn sure that he wasn't going to come out of this alive...

**17 hours earlier...**

Sherlock just stared at the woman who called herself Violet Hunter, consulting criminal.

"What makes you think that I would even assist you with that task?" Sherlock asked her, "I believe my brother would be the one who could assist you in that."

"Oh no," Violet said with a smile, "I believe that you are perfect for the task."

"And how would that be?" Sherlock scoffed as his mind continued to race deducing every fact the could about the men around him.

_Henchmen on the right, slight limp, winces as he leans to the side. Looks extremely uncomfortable. Kidney disease...logically._

_One on the left wife just left him. He keeps looking at his left hand with sadness, as if he's lost something... a ring. Wife most likely took his three, no five cats with him. _

"Because you are sharp Mr. Holmes... well supposibly," Violet said with a smirk, "you come with Cahill's high recommendation on your observational skills as well as other knowledge."

"And what would that be?" Sherlock asked as he felt his body begin twitching... he was coming off the high. The pain was getting more severe from the heroine withdrawl. God he wanted that high, he was craving it...

What in the hell are you thinking... you dont need that...

Violet smiled once more laughing slightly, "I hear that you are well versed in Chemistry Mr. Holmes."

Sherlock shut his eyes breifly as he tried to regain control of his body and mind. The pain and cramping were in creasing. The cocain only covered up the sympotoms of his withdrawl for a bit, but had a habit of making them worse once he came off the high.

"Why would you need a chemist? They are easy enough to come across. Cahill has an army of them attempting to make their drugs undetecable; an impossible task by the way." Sherlock added.

Violet laughed once more, "Ah, but none of them are as clever as you. And I need clever for what I want."

"And what is that?"

"You Mr. Holmes, are going to make and design the bomb that will end the world as we know it today."

Sherlock froze, "And why would I do that?" he asked.

"Oh, you dont have a choice," Cahill stated as three men suddenly grabbed him once more, "You'll be too busy begging for a high before you can realize what you are doing."

A cloth met his mouth once more and the unmistakeable smell of cholorform was the last thing he recognized before his world went black once more.

**^&(* #) **

Mary's head hurt.

...A Lot...

She groaned and opened her eyes, only to find herself staring at an elegant ceiling.

"You're awake," Mycroft said folding up the paper he was reading.

Mary slowly sat up, wincing as she did as an older woman bussled in and gave her a small smile before fixing the pillows so Mary could gently lay back and be comfortable.

She just gave the older woman a strange look before turning to Mycroft, completely dumbfounded.

"Why... where...?"

Mycroft gave her a small smile, "You were knocked unconscious by a rather bad blow to the head as Mrs. Jones here tells me. You have been out ever since I believe."

"Where am I?" Mary asked, "The last thing I remember is follwoing Sherlock and Kylie into an old house and then black."

Mycroft frowned, "Do you remember where this old house was?"

"Where am I?" Mary asked again, "Can you call John, I want John."

"You are at my home," Mycroft told her patiently, "You and Miss Gibbs were moved here in a 'deal'. John was already here to check on you, but he has been entailed with a task along with Mr. Edwards. I promised to look after you for him. Now, can you..."

"What task?" Mary asked trying to blink the pain out of her head, "What deal? Sherlock wanted the cabbie...oh..."

Mycroft smiled at her, "My brother negotiated for your and Miss Gibb's safety."

"Where's Kylie?" Mary asked.

"My brother asked for her to be sent to a... different location..." Mycroft said with a smile.

Mary's face dropped, "That bastard was stupid enough to try to send her back to America wasnt he?"

***&(*( ^&^!**

Black…? Why was everything black?

She was lying on something hard and cold, like… steel?

Kylie opened her eyes and took in the scene around her.

She was lying on the steel floor of what looked like the inside of a cargo hold. She looked around her. UNITED STATES MILITARY was stamped on almost all of the boxes and bags lying around her. She tried to move, only to find that her arm had been placed back in its sling and her other hand cuffed to the steel bench as she lay on the ground.

Kylie blinked a few times as the haze of her drug induced unconsciousness seemed to pass. Cahill. Lola. Mary. Sherlock…. Mycroft….

Son of a bitch….

Mycroft had drugged her. Why? She needed to help find Sherlock. He was in trouble. He needed her.

"Good morning sunshine," Gibbs said as he walked over to her carrying a blanket, "About time you woke up."

"Dad?" Kylie asked, completely and utterly confused, "What in the hell is going on?" she said as she tried to sit up, being blocked by her handcuff, "And why in the HELL am I cuffed?"

Gibbs smirked at her, "Charlie assured me you would need that. He said you would go crazy like a 'honey badger' apparently."

Kylie rolled her eyes and tugged on the handcuff, "Charlie needs to get off YouTube." Kylie yanked on the cuff once more as she managed to push herself up into a sitting position, "Can you let me out of these now? Sherlock is in a shit ton of trouble."

Her father wrapped the blanket around her snugly before sitting on the bench across from her in silence.

"DAD!" Kylie gaped.

"Its being handled Ky," Gibbs said calmly, "Now get some sleep, we take off soon."

"Take off?" Kylie gaped, "Where are you taking me? Home?"

Gibbs was silent as he just looked at his daughter blankly.

"I can handle myself DAD! I need to help Sherlock! Some drug lord is going to kill him if I don't get to him!" Kylie said as she frantically began yanking on her cuff like a two year old throwing at temper tantrum.

"That's why I've been asked to take you home," Gibbs told her as he leaned back, "He, along with everyone else knew you wouldn't go willingly."

"First of all, this IS my home now Dad," Kylie bit at him, "I have a home here, with my boyfriend who, may I remind you, IS ABOUT TO BE SHOT BY A DRUG LORD!"

Gibbs just looked at his daughter, slightly hurt by her words. He knew she was an adult and had her own life, but to him, her childhood home would always be "home". She was old enough now; his little girl was really all grown up and moved on with her life.

"DAD!" She yelled at him in frustration.

"He doesn't want you involved Ky," Gibbs told her quietly, "that's why he negotiated for your safety and set this up."

"Wait…." Kylie said freezing, "You are telling me Sherlock ARRANGED for me to be shipped off while he was in danger?"

No…. he couldn't do this to her. She trusted him, she loved him. How on earth could he do this to her? He couldn't just ship her off like some defenseless little rag doll. Didn't he think that she could help him? Or did he just see her as some helpless little thing who just had trouble find her all of the time?

"He wants to make sure that you are safe Ky," Her father told her.

"I can handle myself," she said through gritted teeth, "Look Dad, that man is just about a s stubborn as I am, but he needs help! You need to let me go help him!"

She needed to help him; she needed to protect him; like he had done for her so many times before.

"He's being helped," Gibbs told her, "His brother and your friends are on it. Now relax, I think we take off in few minutes."

Kylie glared at her father; he wasn't going to let her out of this. She needed to get off this plane before it got in the air. She needed to find him before Cahill could hurt him more than he already has by now.

And then, once he was safe, she was going to kill him for trying to send her away…. She was going to kill Sherlock Holmes for being the stupid git that he was.

**So, as you can probably guess, we are beginning to tie in the beginnings to the story. This was obviously the first one…. get ready for the ride guys…its gonna twist and turn and as you probably already know…some may not make it to the end of the story….**

**Review?**


	110. Chapter 110

**A MASSIVE thanks to my reviewers! I'll thank you individually next chapter! I'm running to class right now. I just wanted to get this chapter up!**

**Enjoy!**

Ringing.

That's all he could hear was ringing and muted screams and cries as smoke, dust, and blood overtook central London.

He looked up from behind his car in horror at the sight before him.

He was the authority. He was supposed to help these frantic people, but he found he couldn't. He was rooted to the spot. His friends were in there.

His friends were in that carnage that used to be the parliament building. They had to be dead. There was no way anyone could have made it out of that blast alive.

The leaders of the British nation and his friends, gone.

**15 Hours earlier….**

"Where's John?" Mary asked once more.

"John is helping my brother," Mycroft replied for the umpteenth time.

"Where?" Mary asked.

"I don't know," Mycroft replied smoothly. It was true, they were tracing Sherlock's phone, he hadn't done it himself.

"Bull Shit," Mary told him.

Mycroft's phone rang, he glanced down at the number, "Excuse me," he told her before he got up and answered his phone.

"Yes," he said as he walked just outside the door, leaving Mary all alone in the room.

"Sir," his assistant told him on the other line, "I just got word from the mole concerning his status. They are moving him to central London. 2064 Hunting Guard Circle."

"2064 Hunting Guard circle?" Mycroft asked as he wrote down the address on a paper.

"Yes sir," his PA told him.

"Any other updates?"

"No sir, the mole has not checked in, only his GPS chip is being picked up. They keep moving…. Wait…"

"What?" Mycroft asked.

"Uh, sir we have a problem."

"What kind of problem?"

"They've been joined by a few more."

"Probably flunkies," Mycroft told her, "Cahill has a small army. I want security checks and keep trying to get ahold of our man."

"Yes sir," his PA said before hanging up.

Mycroft sighed and typed a text to John, hoping to reroute them in the right direction before sending an update to the home security office.

He then pocketed his phone and walked back into the room.

Mycroft rolled his eyes in annoyance. The bed was empty and the sheets had been used as a rope to get out from the now open window. Mary was gone.

He picked up his phone once more. Why couldn't John have been engaged to a more cooperative and less stubborn individual?

***&*(&^!()!**

"Left here," Charlie said from the passenger seat in the car, as Lestrade turned left sharply.

"I'm shocked his phone is still on," John said from the back seat as they raced to find Sherlock.

Mycroft had informed them that Sherlock's phone had still been on and they were working on tracing it in attempt to find him before Cahill could kill him.

"CO19's meeting us there. If Cahill's in there, we are going to take that bastard down once and for all," Lestrade said as Charlie called out more directions.

Finally the car screeched to a halt as the Special Forces Police van screeched to a halt as well. Lestrade, John, and Charlie leapt out of the car.

"What in the bloody hell are you two doing?" Lestrade asked Charlie and John as began to put on the bulletproof vests that were in the trunk of the car.

"Going in," Charlie stated, wincing as his bruised ribs rubbed against the vest.

"Uh, no," Lestrade told them, "You are hurt, and John, you have no tactical POLICE training. You two wait outside."

"I have…" John began to argue as Lestrade held up a hand.

"WAIT HERE!" He yelled before turning and running into the abandoned warehouse with the CO19 unit.

John and Charlie looked at each other helplessly. There was no sense in running in there now.

"Well, this blows," Charlie, commented as he leaned up against the car.

John was about to comment back before his phone beeped.

He frowned and felt through his pockets before finding his phone and reading the message.

"Mary awake yet?" Charlie inquired as he watched John read the message.

"No, its from Mycroft," he said looking at the phone and then back up at Charlie before shoving the phone at him to read before opening the driver's door to Lestrade's car.

Charlie looked down at the text.

_My inside man just sent word. _

_2064 Hunting Guard Circle._

_-MH_

"This is where Sherlock is?" Charlie asked looking at John pull Lestrade's back up out of the middle console.

"Yeah, we need to let Lestrade know," John told him.

Charlie just looked at John, "Get in the car."

"What?" John asked as Charlie hopped in the car and started the engine.

"Get in John!" Charlie told him.

"We can't just steal a police car!" John argued as he got in the car.

"I am the police John," Charlie said as they tore away from the empty warehouse.

**^%* &#(!)( )**

Sherlock awoke once more to the feeling of heaviness, relief, and warmth.

…They injected him again with Heroine….

He blinked as he let out a groan. His body was no longer in ecstasy, but it was slight relief from the craving and pain that he was feeling from the withdrawal.

"Wakey, wakey," A voice said. He knew the voice, he just couldn't think. His brain was off, that was what made heroine such an appealing drug to him in the first place; it helped him control his mind.

"Oh come now Mr. Holmes," the voice said again, "I need you to make me a bomb…"

"No…" Sherlock said as he blinked trying to reboot his brain.

"Wrong answer," the voice told him as a needle met his arm once more.

Sherlock felt the haze of his dream-like state fade immediately. He felt… normal…. He still wanted the high and warmth back, but his brain could function.

He looked to see Violet and Cahill standing over him as he blinked trying to focus once more.

"Your last chance to do this willingly," Violet told him, "Do what I say, or you will regret it."

"I doubt it," Sherlock told her as he tried to move, only to find himself in restraints. Holy Hell, had he been that high to not even realize he was restrained on a bed in the middle of what looked like another warehouse?

"Wrong answer," Violet told him once more as Cahill handed her another needle.

"Do you know what suboxone is Mr. Holmes?" she asked.

"It's a opioid analgesic. Helps with withdrawal in heroine addicts," Sherlock said as he struggled with the restraints as the needle met his arm.

"Very good, and do you know what happens when suboxone is administered with methadone?"

Sherlock froze as he felt the cramping, need, pain, and nausea increase ten fold.

"It exemplifies the withdrawal symptoms ten-fold," Violet told him with a grin, "The only way to relieve it is to take more…. You just don't want to overdose. Good thing I can ensure that you wont."

Sherlock fought the terror that was happening inside of his body. He felt as if his insides were being stabbed with a thousand knives. His brain was about to explode. This was by FAR the worst pain he had ever felt in his life. He NEEDED a hit. He wanted one like he had never wanted one before.

"Do as I have instructed and I'll make all your pain go away," Violet told him simply, "It's a puzzle, no one else can solve it but the great Sherlock Holmes…"

Sherlock's body began to shake as his restraints were taken off, "I know you can't resist to be the cleverest person in the room Mr. Holmes. Now be a good boy and make me my bomb and I will take all your pain away."

Sherlock watched the room empty as she pulled his knees into his chest. His insides were squirming; pain flooded his body as he retched over to the bin on the side. Every gag increased his pain expinentionally.

He couldn't keep still.

He needed a hit.

No.

You need it.

No I don't.

Just make the bloody bomb.

No.

You can deceive her, you always do.

Sherlock looked at the worktable before slowly crawling over to it and took a couple of tries before he was able to pull himself up.

He blinked and focused his mind before reaching a shaky hand out for the ingredients.

**Review?**


	111. Chapter 111

**A HUGE thanks to all of my amazing reviewers! Thanks to DarkJenny, thegirlwiththebrowneyes, Gwilwillith, BekCholie, holmesiswheretheheartis, x-poisoncherry-x, bored411, Jumperguy (and for your help as always), skywrites, alovelycupofcoffee, and oreal770. Seriously you guys are AMAZING!**

**Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up! But here it is! It bounces around a lot so just hang in there and hopefully it will make sense!**

The smoke was all around him. He coughed and wheezed as the dust and rubble around him settled. He tried to move... Nothing hurt severely. He was sore, but then again, the bomb had just gone off.

He lifted himself from the woman he had held under him to try to protect as he tried to will away the ringing in his ears.

"You okay?" he asked her as she winced.

"Yeah," she responded before looking next to them.

"Oh god," she said in horror as she gazed next to her.

He felt his breath catch in his throat.

No... Not him too...

**6 hours earlier….**

Kylie groaned in frustration at her restraints as she tugged on them fiercely once more.

Her father glanced up at her as she huffed and looked at him.

"Dad, please…"

"Stop whining Ky," Gibbs told her as he leaned back against the side of the cargo space.

Kylie sighed, she had to get out of here, and her dad was sure as hell not going to let her. Sherlock was in trouble. She had to help him.

Kylie leaned over to her hand to scratch her head, feeling a bobby pin that was helping her keep her hair out of her face.

God, she did not want to do this, but she had no choice…

"Ky," her father asked, "What are you doing?"

"What?" She asked, "I'm not allowed to scratch my head? I have only one arm right now you know."

Gibbs glanced down at her dislocated shoulder.

"I need to move it a bit, can you take my sling off?" She asked.

Gibbs sighed and walked over taking his daughters sling gently off as she winced moving the arm around.

"Thanks," She said smiling at him gently.

"Be careful," He condoned before wandering down the other end of the plane, "I'm going to talk to the pilot. Don't go anywhere."

"Like I could!" Kylie yelled as she watched her father walk down the end of the plane before frantically picking the lock on her handcuffs.

"Dammit," Kylie cursed under her breath as the lock was stuck.

She heard her father's footsteps coming back once it finally clicked.

"We're starting up," Gibbs told her as he held a strap vest in his hands, "I need to strap you in so that you don't go flying across."

"You could just uncuff me," Kylie told him as he stood in front of her.

"We both know that's not going to happen," he told her as he bent down.

"I know," She told him sadly, "That's why I'm sorry…"

Gibbs raised an eyebrow at her before he was thrown to the ground and hit his head and everything went black.

Kylie stared horrified at her father's now unconscious body as she stood up. The engines were starting up…she had to go.

"Sorry Dad," She told him before she took the blanket and laid it under his head before taking his wrist and cuffing it to the chair after strapping him securely in place.

She grabbed her father's gun and scampered down to the end of the plane and out the emergency door just as the plane began to move.

She jumped down the ten-foot drop landing roughly on the ground, grunting as she hit the pavement.

She needed to help Sherlock…

She got up and began to run towards the base… she needed to find a phone…

**&*( #^ ) **

Sherlock tried his damnedest to concentrate.

Pain was increasing and causing his mind to blank. That wasn't the worst though, no it wasn't the pain, the muscle cramps, the fact that he had thrown up three times, or even the fact that he was shaking so bad that he couldn't even grab the wire he needed….

No, he NEEDED a hit…badly…

He had never wanted heroine this badly. He wanted the calmness, the serenity the drug gave him as his mind raced and his body suffered. He would do anything for a hit right now…. even make this bomb.

No… what are you doing?

_Trying to make the pain stop…I NEED it._

No, you don't.

_YES I DO!  
_

He needed it, he needed the drugs, and he couldn't function. It hurt so badly. He felt himself beginning to lose his mind with need.

FOCUS!

He finally grabbed the wire after about four more tries and inserted it into the plaster mixture that was quickly drying. He closed his eyes, was he really doing this?

He needed that fix…He needed to think…he couldn't with the pain…

His body twitched unconsciously as his muscles cramped tighter. He groaned…this was terrible.

HE NEEDED THE DRUGS!

NO!

He took a shaky breath as he lifted his head carefully and placed a hand back on the worktable in front of him before continuing.

**&( *# &!(**

"Jesus," John commented as they drove through central London in attempt to find the address, "Where in the hell did Mycroft send us?"

"I seriously don't think this place exists," Charlie commented angrily as he tore down the street with sirens raging.

"I think we should have taken a left there," John said as he was looking at the map on his phone.

"What?" Charlie asked as he looked around before dodging a cyclist in the street.

"LEFT!" John yelled as Charlie looked at him.

"What where?" Charlie asked.

"Jesus," John gaped, "Don't you know how to follow directions?"

"These streets are confusing and you are not a good navigator," Charlie bit back before he turned left.

"I learned how to navigate in the Army!" John argued.

"So…"

"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING…." John began before he pinched the bridge of his nose, "You are going to be in my wedding party as one of my best mates and you… Sod it, we need to find Sherlock.."

"If we can get there," Charlie glowered.

John opened his mouth to argue as Charlie stepped on the brakes slamming the car to a stop.

"We're here," Charlie said as he got out of the car and checked his weapon.

John got out and looked at Charlie's bruised and battered body, "You sure you are up for this?"

"Of course," Charlie said with a smile, "I'm fine."

John nodded and looked at the abandoned meat warehouse in the middle of central London.

"You ready?" Charlie asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," John told him before they raised their weapons and slowly pushed open the door.

**^% *&#(* **

"No one, not even you can build a bomb in an hours time?" Violet said as she entered the room to see Sherlock barely holding himself up in the chair as he shook with pain, his inner struggle for drugs raging wildly.

Sherlock didn't respond as violet looked over the table with Cahill and a middle-aged man that Sherlock didn't recognize…well, he might have if he didn't feel as if his brain was about to explode…

"Dear Lord," the middle aged man said in his heavy Scottish drawl, "He actually did it…"

Sherlock slowly turned his gaze to the man.

The man looked at him, "Long time no see Sherlock," he told him, "Though I have to say you looked a lot better the last time I saw you."

"Paul," Sherlock muttered as he felt his whole body twist into a Charlie horse.

Paul smiled at him and opened his mouth to speak before Violet rolled her eyes, "Oh how sweet a reunion," she chided, "Can we focus on my bomb?"

"Yes mum," Paul said quickly as he looked at the bomb.

An awe-struck look came over his face as he looked at the bomb on the table.

"I knew you were a bloody genius but I didn't think you'd actually be able to pull this off Sherlock," he said in amazement.

"Why?" Violet asked impatiently.

"The ingredients you gave him," Paul said in amazement, "They actually would render the bomb useless and would take hours to blend into a formula, let alone an explosive one."

"So what he's good," Violet said, "Just tell me will it work?"

Paul's eyes met Sherlock's, before he glanced down at the pipe bomb in front of him.

"PAUL!" Violet roared.

"Yes, it looks like a typical pipe bomb," Paul told them.

"I wouldn't lie to me if you ever want to see your daughter ever again," Violet told him, "I hear teenage red-headed girls sell for a lot in the sex trade."

Paul paled instantly as fear took over his body.

Violet just grinned and leaned in closer towards him, "Now tell me, will it or will it not go boom when I want it to?"

Paul swallowed, "No, he's left a single wire out of place so the formula will not ignite."

Violet glanced at Sherlock as he was shaking violently, "Tried to trick me. Tisk tisk."

Violet then turned her attention back to Paul, "Fix it… now. I need five of them built that same exact way."

Paul nodded before setting to work following the remnants of Sherlock's mess of a worktable going off of what he had in the mixing dishes and bottles next to the Bunsen burner.

"Mum," a man said as he dragged a man into the room throwing him to the ground, "Found this man trespassing."

"Look man I was just looking for my bro," Charlie said as he got up from the ground.

Sherlock blinked a few times to make sure that he was seeing what was actually in front of him.

"Who are you?" Violet asked sharply.

"Matt," Charlie said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "Who are you? Is that a bomb?"

"We didn't find any weapons on him," the man told Violet.

"We may need him," Violet told him, "Take him with us, but we need to move. Paul hurry up."

**%*& &#(**

John silently crept back through the darkened corridor where he and Charlie were supposed to meet up. They had to check the perimeter before they began to venture any further into danger.

John paused, as he saw no trace of Charlie whatsoever. John walked over to the pile of crates that they had entered in at. Charlie had the shorter side; he should have been back before him…

John's foot kicked something as it skidded down a little ways putting it into his line of vision.

Was that…? Charlie's gun…

Shit….

***&*(#^#* **

"Done," Paul said about fifteen minutes later, "I have the chemicals made, and all we have to do is put them in the bombs themselves and wire them. They'll be stable to move as long as I don't combine them."

"Good," Violet said as she knelt next to Sherlock at the table, "Mr. Holmes, you want your relief?"

Sherlock wanted it more than he had ever wanted anything in his entire life. His body and mind were overloaded with pain. He needed the drugs if he wanted to survive.

"Yes," he said quietly as his brain screamed NO!

"Okay then," Violet said as she drew a needle out of her pocket, removing the safety cap and injecting the liquid into his arm.

Sherlock shut his eyes anticipating the relief, only to find that the pain became intensified.

Sherlock couldn't help but let out a small whimper as the larger dose of Methadone raged through his system reigniting every nerve ending in his body making him feel as if every inch of him was being stabbed roughly with a dull butter knife, cutting him into cellular sized pieces.

Sherlock lost all strength as he fell out of the chair and roughly onto the ground, twitching in pain and agony.

"Oh dear," Violet said in a fakely sweet voice, "I must have used the wrong syringe. Well, no matter, you were such a naughty boy."

Violet smiled slightly as she looked a Cahill, "Get him into the van."

She took one look at her man who was detaining Charlie, "Do it."

The man nodded before gruffly grabbing Charlie by the shirt and pulling him up and shoving him forward, sticking his AK47 in his back.

"Walk," he ordered.

"Okay bro!" Charlie told him in his fake surfer voice that was earning him no respect as he began to follow Cahill, his two men who were now carrying Sherlock (though where they emerged from, Charlie had no clue), and Paul.

"No," the man ordered, "We're taking the other van."

"Other van?" Charlie asked as he was shoved to the left.

The man didn't answer as he shoved Charlie towards the garage where a single van was waiting.

"Get in the front," the man ordered, "You have a special job."

"Special job," Charlie played along, "Like what?"

"I'll let you know when you get there," the man said as he hopped in the front and started up the car, pulling out onto the street.

They rounded two corners so they were about a block over when the man pulled the van over.

"Get out," the man told him.

"Why?" Charlie asked.

"I need you to take this note to that flat," the man said pointing out an old flat.

Charlie just looked at the note and back at the man.

"Do it," he ordered.

"Okay," Charlie said throwing his hands up. Hell if this was all he had to do to track them with his GPS in his phone, this was easy enough.

Charlie grabbed the note and hopped out of the car and onto the sidewalk.

"Oh and Matt," the man said before Charlie could close the door. Charlie opened it a little more as he turned to look at the man.

Three gunshots went off as Charlie was thrown to the ground by the impact of the rounds meeting his chest. The van sped off as he stared up at the gloomy sky.

"Oh God no," a female voice yelled as someone ran over to him.

He knew that voice… Mary…

Charlie fought to breathe as the footsteps neared.

So this is what death was like. A lot of pain, and gloominess quickly fading into darkness. He wasn't ready to die; he had so much ahead of him. A job, a great group of friends, an actual girlfriend. He couldn't leave now.

"Charlie! Charlie stay with me!"

He heard Mary's voice keep calling his name as her soft hands firmly pressed into his wounds.

"Come on you bloody idiot, pull through," he heard her voice say "you can't leave me like this! I already planned your seating arrangement!"

He wanted to laugh at her joke…well at least he hoped it was a joke… He didn't want to leave either. He had become close to John and Mary. He wanted to be there when they got married. He loved them; he had never had closer friends.

He needed her in his life as much as he needed Kylie, John, Lestrade and the others. They had all become a quintessential part of his life. He had always been "Charlie the bachelor" but now he was Charlie the friend. They had shown him that people could be loyal and stay around in your life. No one else had. His family had not been close and women came and went like ghosts. He needed his friends; he was a part of something here in the UK.

"Come on," he heard Mary say through the tears as she began preforming chest compressions.

He couldn't see, he could just hear other voices beginning to come around him and footsteps racing towards him.

"Help him, just please help him…"

He always knew that he wouldn't die of old age, especially with his career choice and the spot that he had landed when he moved from the FBI to Scotland Yard. He thought he was going to die many times over the years while in the field with Kylie, and a short prayer of "Please God, don't let me die," always got him through it, but now… he knew death was on his door step, knocking, banging down the door.

He was going to die, and no miracle done by God was going to change that….

**Thoughts? Angry comments? Happy comments? Review?**


	112. Chapter 112

**So I apologize for this chapter… I feel its bad, I was distracted and then ill as I was writing it, so I apologize.**

**It ties a bunch of stuff together so hopefully its all starting to make sense now.**

**A huge thanks to my reviewers!**

**A huge thanks to staacielou, bekcholie, gwilwillith, chelgallifreya221B613, alovelycupofcoffee, thegirlwiththebrowneyes, and sherlockian2205 for their AMAIZING Reviews!**

**I still want to apologize guys, I know that this story has gone downhill and I am trying my best to get it back on track with out totally changing stuff…so thanks to those of you who have stuck with me! Have faith; it will get back to how it was…hopefully…**

**Enjoy!**

Mary jogged quickly down the street, the address repeating in her head. Her head ached terribly from the concussion she had sustained but she ignored it. She needed to find John.

Mycroft would probably kill her for escaping through the window of his over protected home, but then again, he should never underestimate the escaping skills of a preacher's daughter. She had gotten plenty of practice escaping from her family home to sneak out when she was a teenager.

She rounded the corner to see a van slow and then stop. She had to be near the location…

The door opened and none other than Charlie stepped out. Mary felt relief flood through her. Charlie had to be with John, they were safe. Though, where in the hell had they gotten a van?

She saw Charlie turn with a piece of paper in his hand only to turn back expectantly towards the driver. Mary frowned, where was John? The driver turned and caught her eye. That definitely wasn't John, and why was he looking at her?

The man turned and lifted something. Mary squinted at it before she heard three gunshots rang out.

Mary froze as she saw Charlie stumble backwards. She couldn't move, she was struck in horror as she watched her friend fall to the ground.

"Charlie!" she yelled as she sprinted over.

The van drove off as Mary reached him. He was looking at the sky and gasping for breath.

"Oh God no," Mary said as she felt tears run down her face. She pressed her hands into the wound. This wasn't happening.

"Charlie! CHARLIE!" she yelled. She felt his breathing begin to stop and his heart beat slow.

"Come on you idiot pull through!" She said, "you can't leave me like this! I've already made your seating arrangement!"

She laughed through her tears at her own joke. It was only yesterday that Charlie had stopped by before they went to Baker Street to find Kylie's father there with them. Charlie had found her making seating arrangements and heatedly debating it with John and poked fun at her, infuriating her even more.

"Come on!" Mary said crying. As annoying as he was, he was on of her best friends. She had been pissed at him, but his comments were helping John remain sane through this process.

He was fading fast. She didn't feel his heart beat underneath her hands anymore.

"Shit," She cursed as she frantically began chest compressions.

She heard sirens approaching as an ambulance drove up. Mary looked up, there was about ten people standing around watching her struggle to keep him alive.

She looked back down at Charlie. His eyes were half open and his body was so still.

Dead.

He was dead. She knew, it but she wasn't giving up hope.

She couldn't believe it. After all that they had been through together, after all the times he had pissed her off and been there for her, been there for her friends, been there for Kylie, been there for the man she loved…. he was dead, she loved him dearly, and now he was dead.

She gazed at his lifeless body in disbelief.

"Mum you need to step away," the paramedic told her as he attempted to take his vitals, already knowing the answer.

She just looked at her hands on his chest, covered in his blood.

"I'm a Doctor," she told the man trying to pull her away.

She had medical training. So what if she just worked on dead people and did post-mortems?

"Mum…"

"NO!" She said, she couldn't let him die, he could come back…. He wasn't meant to die not here, not now… she needed him, they needed him to get out of this alive. He knew where John was, where Sherlock was.

People called him other names, but brilliant was the only one that came to mind when she thought of him… For Charlie that seemed like a stretch, but once you set aside his "playboy" nature he really was a brilliant detective. Of course he wasn't nearly as smart as Sherlock Holmes or Kylie but he did his job extraordinarily well.

She needed to feel his heart beat beneath her hands. It just NEEDED to happen.

Please God, Don't let him die…

"Mum, he's gone," the man told her as he gently tried to pull her away, "we need to call time of death."

"No," she said as she shook her head, the tears flowing freely, "He can't be."

"I'm so sorry," the man told her, "But there's nothing we can do."

Gone…this great, wonderful, arrogant, brilliant man was gone forever… and it was all her fault. If she had just stepped in and yelled for him to duck, he wouldn't be on the ground right now, dead beneath her hands.

***&() *#) **

Groan

"Shut up," Ardan Cahill's unmistakable voice rang out, "Get him out of here."

John heard the shuffling to his right along with something heavy being thrown into a van with a moan.

He crept around down the hall and into the corridor leading to the garage. John hid behind a crate as he watched an older redheaded man load two steel barrels into the van next to a crumpled body.

John felt the breath hitch in his throat as he saw the head of dark curls… Sherlock….

Another man brought out what looked like a…was that…. Dear Lord…a bomb?

"Careful with that," Cahill barked as he hopped in the van.

"Yeah, yeah," the man complained as he hopped in the seat, giving Sherlock a wary look before closing the door.

John watched as the van began to drive out onto the street. He had to follow them; he had to catch the van. They had a bomb and Sherlock…. What else was he supposed to do?

John ran after the van and into the dark street. The van drove slowly down the street as John easily kept up with it. He was about ten feet away from reaching the van, when it began to accelerate away from him.

John sprinted down the darkened streets of London. He couldn't lose them now… not with so much at risk. He had no clue where it was headed, where Sherlock was being taken.

He chased after the van as fast as he could. All of the answers lay in that van…a way to end this whole thing, a way to get Sherlock back, a way to keep that bomb from going off, a way to protect everyone he cared about.

His feet couldn't keep up anymore as the van skidded around the corner. He racked his brain for another way to cut the van off; it would just really help if he knew where the van was headed.

He couldn't let this happen. If that van went to its destination, thousands of lives were at stake…thousands of people were going to be killed.

"Look out!" some one yelled behind him.

He turned just in time to jump out of the way of a motorbike roaring towards him. He hit the ground hard, groaning at the force of the impact on the cobblestone.

"You alright?" a young man on his motorbike asked stopping next to him. He looked up to see the motorbike that had knocked him down roaring after the van. Was that?

John looked in horror at the direction that the van was headed for…Parliament….

"I need your bike," John told him.

"What? Why?" The biker asked, taken aback slightly.

"SCOTLAND YARD," John told him.

"I need to see some ID mate," the biker said before Jon rolled his eyes and pulled out Lestrade's back-up weapon, pointing it at the man.

"This enough?" he asked before taking the bike and racing after the van.

**&^ #() **

Gibbs opened his eyes, groaning at the pain he felt.

He hadn't moved…. That was strange.

He tried to move his arms only to find that he was cuffed to the metal bar. He couldn't help but smirk, clever girl Kylie… but then again, she always had been even at a young age.

He looked around the room for any sign of her, only seeing emptiness that was on the cargo space of the plane.

He heard the engine start up. They were taking off.

He struggled against the restraints. Sure he was amused by her cleverness, he always had been, but right now, she was being an idiot. He had tried to protect her, and he was in charge of that protection. He wasn't about to let her go rushing into danger after the man she loved.

Sherlock had been right, she was safer in his care, but the he had brought Gibbs into ensure that safety.

He needed to find her. She had no idea what she was getting herself into. Mycroft had warned him. It wasn't just Cahill they were up against.

He needed to find her before it was too late.

**^&*&*() **

"Come on…" Kylie muttered underneath her breath, "Pick up pick up."

She jogged quickly down the street towards where John and Mary lived. She had no clue why she was going there, but it wasn't like she had any idea of where anyone else was at the moment.

"Shit," Kylie cursed under her breath as she got John's voicemail for the fifth time.

She scrolled through her contacts finding Charlie's familiar number and pressing call. John and Charlie were usually together if he wasn't with Mary or Sherlock… Charlie would pick up.

"Kylie?" A familiar yet sad female voice picked up.

Kylie stopped in her tracks, "MARY! Thank God! You're with Charlie? Look Sherlock is in…"

"Kylie…"

"What?" Kylie asked stopping at Mary's sobs being heard over the phone; dread building up in her body at her voice.

"He's dead Kylie," Mary cried on the other line.

Fear raged through her body, who was? John? Lestrade? Charlie? ….Sherlock?

"Who Mary?" Kylie asked softly, "Who's dead?"

"Charlie," Mary said as she broke down, "I couldn't save him Kylie, I tried but I couldn't."

Kylie was numb; she couldn't feel her body as she stood still in the middle of the sidewalk. He partner, her annoying friend, gone…

They had been partners for three years, and for all three of those years, Kylie had never once doubted that Charlie didn't have her back. Sure, he drove her up the wall, but he was a damn good man, and she was proud to call him her friend.

He was dead…. gone forever…

"Its all my fault Kylie," Mary cried, "I should have warned him…."

"Mare this isn't your fault," Kylie told her, "Where are you?"

"2064 Hunting Guard Circle," Mary told her.

"Look, I'm on my way," Kylie told her as she flagged down a cab, "You stay there until I get there okay?"

"Okay," Mary told her, "I have to find John…"

"I've been phoning him," Kylie told her as she hopped in a cab, "I'm going to call Mycroft and see if he has any idea where they all are. I'll see you when I get there."

Kylie hung up the phone and dialed Mycroft's number, praying that he at least had an inkling of where John and Sherlock were. She had already lost one friend, she didn't want to lose another or the man she loved…

**Review?**


	113. Chapter 113

**A huge thanks to Marvgirrl81, don'tfadeaway, thegirlwiththebrowneyes, gwilwillith, skywrites, alovelycupofcoffee, and BekCholie for their amazing reviews! I realy appreciate all the feedback that I am getting. I don't think you guys realize how much it helps me!  
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**Heres a short one. Sorry.. I had to get little stuff out of the way before we get to the action part!**

**Enjoy you guys!**

Mycroft Holmes sat in his usual chair by the fire, blackberry in hand as he busied himself trying to track down Mary Morstan. John would kill him if he couldn't find her.

This was absurd… he could track almost everyone, and yet, in the time that he needed to keep an eye on a single woman who didn't even stage a threat to the British nation, he couldn't find a trace of her.

His phone beeped as he read the text. He frowned, this wasn't good.

He dialed the number.

"Sir," his PA answered.

"What was that that I just received?" Mycroft asked.

"Exactly what it says sir," his PA responded, "We now have a threat level red."

"Are we sure its terrorism?" Mycroft told her, "Is the mole sure of the target?"

"Positive sir," his PA responded, "Do we follow protocol?"

"No," Mycroft responded as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "They are in session. We need to take care of this without drawing panic. The elections are coming up after all. Dispatch MI6 have them interfere."

"And the mole sir?"

"Remain a mole," Mycroft ordered, "If Cahill gets out of this somehow, we still need to take him down. Are we sure he is acting alone?"

"No sir, the mole mentioned her," the PA told him.

Her… that could only mean one person. British intelligence had been looking for Violet Hunter for years now. She had well-established connections in many drug cartels not to mention crime rings such as the one ran by Moriarty and then Thomas. The woman was a brilliant deviant..one who needed to be taken down, especially if she had his little brother.

"Have him keep his cover. Tell MI6 that all captives are to remain alive…"

"They have a prisoner sir?"

"Yes," Mycroft assured her, "I want Cahill and Violet Hunter alive as well. Understood?"

"Yes sir," his PA told her.

As soon as Mycroft hung up the phone it began ringing again. He frowned and looked at the caller ID, rolling his eyes in annoyance as he saw the caller. Couldn't anyone listen to instructions?

"Miss Gibbs," He answered, "Did you enjoy your flight?"

"No flight, sorry to disappoint," Kylie responded quickly, "Look do you know where Sherlock is?"

"My brother doesn't want you involved in this Miss Gibbs and rightly so, neither of you have any clue what you are dealing…."

"Don't you dare try to tell me I don't know what I am dealing with. I think this maybe a news flash for you Mycroft, but I am not an ignorant little girl. I know exactly what I am dealing with. I've already lost one of my friends and I don't plan on losing the man I love just because he is far too stubborn to ask for help."

Mycroft was silent for a moment as he took in her words, "Who?"

"Charlie," Kylie said as she tried to stay strong and hold back the tears, "Mary saw him die."

"We need to discuss a few things Miss Gibbs, I am sending a car for you and Dr. Morstan…"

"NO MYCROFT!" Kylie yelled angrily into the phone, "You are going to tell me where in the hell your brother is because unlike you, I will go into the depths of hell to get that man back. Cahill wants him and I'm not going to let that happen."

Mycroft sighed; dear God this woman was stubborn. It was amazing her and his brother hadn't killed each other by now with their combined stubbornness.

"Cahill is not the only instigator right now," Mycroft told her.

"Who else?" Kylie asked.

"Violet Hunter, she is an international crime boss."

"Like Moriarty and Thomas?"

"Exactly, she goes by consulting criminal as well."

"Good thing that I've become an expert at dealing with them."

"No, Miss Gibbs, Violet Hunter is much more dangerous than Moriarty and Thomas ever were. Moriarty wanted a playmate in the form of my brother, Thomas wanted you, but Violet Hunter wants power. She has no Achilles heel, she just craves more and more power until she become ultimately unstoppable. I assure you she cannot be reasoned with."

Kylie was silent on the other end of the line.

"I still need to find him Mycroft," Kylie told him, "don't tell me he wouldn't do the same for me."

Mycroft sighed, "John and Char…." Mycroft trailed off, remembering what she had told him earlier.

"Charlie already died trying to get him back Mycroft, I'm not going to let them have him after that sacrifice," Kylie told him.

Mycroft was amazed at the strength that this young woman had. She was brilliant, quick witted, and stubborn. She was essentially his brother with a few different qualities that caused her to care. She matched him in most of his qualities and yet pushed him to be better at what he did while trying to protect him from the twists and turns that seemed to follow them.

"They are headed towards parliament," Mycroft told her, "Be careful, I've sent MI6 to deal with them. You do not need to assist."

"The hell I don't," Kylie told him before hanging up the phone.

Mycroft stared at his phone and sighed, how his brother dealt with that woman on a daily basis was a mystery to him.

**&*( (#*) **

"Mary!" Kylie said as she ran up to her. Mary just looked at her from tearstained eyes as she sat in the back of the paramedic's van.

"You alright?" Kylie asked as she looked over her best friend.

"No, but I have to be right now," Mary told her as she dried her eyes, "We need to find John and Sherlock."

"I know where they are…" Kylie began before a police car came racing onto the scene, sirens blaring.

A very flustered, worried, and angry looking Lestrade hopped out of the car and stormed towards them.

"What the hell happened?" Lestrade asked, "Tell me he's okay."

Kylie just looked at him sadly as Mary began crying once more. That told Lestrade all that he needed to know as sadness took over his body. He ran a hand through his hair as he tried to process the information that his partner and friend had just been killed.

"I'm so sorry Greg," Kylie told him quietly as she put a hand on his arm and pulled him in for a hug.

Lestrade hugged his young anthropologist back as he took the comfort that she offered him.

"He was your partner too," Lestrade told her as he tried to hold back the grief.

"That he was," Kylie told him sadly, "But unfortunately we need to go deal with a bigger issue at the moment."

"Oh no," Lestrade told her as he pulled away, "You lot aren't leaving my sight. John and Charlie already stole my car, I don't need the two of you running off and getting killed as well."

"Sherlock…" Kylie argued before Lestrade cut her off.

"Wants you safe," Lestrade told her, "As much as I hate him sometimes, he's right. You should be on a plane with your father right now, not chasing after the world's most dangerous drug lord."

"But…" Mary tried to argue.

"NO!" Lestrade told them firmly before beckoning over a rookie officer, "Watch them like a hawk. Don't let them out of your sight."

Kylie looked at Lestrade with exasperation before he walked off trying to find the officer in charged of the scene.

Kylie ran a hand through her hair. This couldn't get any worse. Her boyfriend had been kidnapped by a drug Lord and international crime boss and were headed toward parliament for God knows why, one of her best friends had been killed, the other missing, and they had to sit here on their hands while their friends needed help.

She knew she needed to be mourning Charlie, but she could hear his voice in her head.

_Why in the hell are you worried about me ky? I'm dead, that can wait… get off your sexy ass and go find that boyfriend of yours. Screw what Lestrade says, he'll get over it._

Kylie looked at Mary before looking at the young officer in front of them.

"How are you tonight?" She asked, giving him a small smile, her eyes looking at Lestrade off in the distance making sure he was not watching them.

"Good mum," the young man replied.

"What's your name?" Kylie asked.

"George mum," he told her.

"Hey George," Kylie told him with a flirty smile, "how would you like two girls to blow your mind if you do one small favor for us?"

George swallowed as Kylie approached him.

"What would that be mum?" George asked.

Kylie smirked; trust a naive young man to look after two smart women who knew that all that this kid wanted was some female attention. The kid had no clue there was no way in hell she or Mary was going to give him any sexual favors.

"Use your imagination," she told him as she leaned in and pulled his cuffs out of his pocket, waving them in front of her as she began to walk around the paramedic's van.

_Who the hell was she?  
_

George swallowed and followed eagerly, looking down to try to undo his trousers as he turned the corner. Kylie's fist met his face and she was quick to cuff him to the side mirror of the van, taking his gun and car keys with her.

"Thanks George," Kylie told him as she waved and walked towards the front of the van and slipped Mary the gun. Mary casually got up from the van and walked with Kylie, watching Lestrade argue with another officer. Kylie clicked the keys and heard a car to their right beep and unlock.

They began to walk quickly towards the car as they heard George begin to yell for help, drawing the attention of some of the other officers.

"Excuse me," an officer yelled at them from behind as they got into the car.

"Inspection," Mary yelled at him as they shut and locked the doors before Kylie fired up the engine.

"OI!" Lestrade yelled as he charged towards the car before Kylie hit the gas and drove the car off in the opposite direction.

Lestrade slowed his pace and watched as Kylie and Mary drove off with his officer's police vehicle. Why in the hell couldn't they listen to what they were told?

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	114. Chapter 114

**So, super short chapter, sorry guys….**

**A Huge thanks to Chelgallifreya221B613, Don't fade away, alovelycupofcoffee, and bored 411 for their reviews! Seriously your feedback helps me so much!  
**

**Here it is, sorry its short guys!**

John quietly crept towards the darkened alley where he had seen the van pull into. He had to park the bike a few blocks over, but he was pretty sure this is where he had seen the van pull into from the distance he was away.

He looked up at Big Ben towering over them; they were about a block away from the parliament building and less than that from Big ben.

This was going to get out of hand, he just hoped that they weren't intending on using that bomb on what he could see as the intended target.

The parliament was in session discussing the legislature on the line. The new laws and ruling that came out of this would have a huge impact on the British nation. John couldn't remember for the life of him what it was, but he had hear Mycroft talking to someone about it when they had been over at his house earlier that day.

The sun was just beginning to set once more, it couldn't be any later than six as John crept nearer and nearer towards the alley. He finally neared the corner as he peeked around carefully.

He saw the alleyway empty. John frowned; the only thing in there was the van… that was strange. It had only taken him about five minutes to get down here, if that, and they were already gone?

Suddenly there was a crash that came from the alleyway as another van pulled up on the opposite side, shining its bright headlights down the alley.

John ducked behind the corner once more. God he wish he had someone else with him… Where in the hell had Charlie gone?

"Will someone shut him up?" He heard Cahill say.

"You can't give him more!" A heavily accented voice said. What was that? Scottish? "Do you want him to OD?"

"The hell I can," Cahill growled back as the car doors slammed.

"Boys," a female voice said, "Now behave, I think Mr. Holmes would like some relief…but he'll have to earn it first."

John peeked around the corner once more. He saw a thin-framed woman with severely sharp features. She was pretty, but not in your typical fashion. Her sharply cut short hair and dark makeup gave her a sinister look, not to mention the ways she was smirking at the men around her.

"Get him up," The woman ordered.

John saw it then, they were all partially hidden behind the van, as the woman walked over to what he assumed was the group.

"Did you finish them?" The woman asked to someone John couldn't see, " I would hate to disappoint your daughter. I don't think she will like where I would send her, but then again, who says the sex trade is pleasurable."

"I finished them," the Scottish man told her. John could hear the fear in his voice, "Just let me see my daughter."

"I want EXACT replications of what Mr. Genius over here created," the woman barked.

"It's done, I just made the adjustments so that the material would ignite," the man told her.

"Good," the woman told him in a menacing tone, "Because you and Mr. Holmes are going to ensure that they work."

John froze, what in the hell did that mean?

"Get the vests," The woman ordered.

There was scuffling behind the van.

"I would behave now, I'd hate to go through the same lengths Mr. Holmes is going through," the woman said.

"No," John heard Sherlock mutter. Jesus, what did they do to him? He sounded so…. different….

"Shut up," A man gruffly barked.

"Now," the woman said after the scuffling stopped, "All you two have to do, is walk into the parliament building, make your way to the parliament floor, and open the jacket, while the other one sets up the other in the basement. You do this, and you get your daughter and your relief. Am I clear?"

Relief?

"Yes," the Scottish man said in a much smaller voice.

"Mr. Holmes?" The woman inquired.

"Why?" he asked.

"Why would you do this for us?" The woman asked once more, "Well, if you ever want to see that precious little girlfriend of yours again you will. I have the name and location of that cabbie you so desire, and if you refuse, I will hand your little girlfriend and your friends over to him on a platter."

The cabbie? The same one who killed Thomas?

"You do what I say, and he goes away…" The woman told him in a sweet voice, "clear?"

Silence.

"Good," the woman said.

_Sherlock, what in the hell are you doing?_ John thought to himself. He just hoped his friend had a plan, but by the sound of his voice, it looked as if that plan was most likely non-existent.

"Well, off you go," Violet told them, "Don't forget your bag Mr. Holmes."

"He can barely walk!" The Scottish man objected.

Well, at least one person was looking out for his friend.

"Well, then you should assist him, because if both of you don't succeed, neither of you do," The woman told him.

John saw a large redheaded man helping Sherlock walk, well, more like dragging him.

John swallowed; he had never seen his friend look so out of it. To put it lightly Sherlock looked like hell. He was pale, paler than John had ever seen him before. He had broken out in a sweat, as his eyes remained vacant. He looked so haunted, so. John didn't know how to describe it.

What in the hell had they done to him?

Sherlock and the redheaded man walked past where John was crouched. John fought every ounce of his being not to jump out and interfere. He was by himself without back up, and Sherlock was far too…. Whatever he was to assist him.

Plus there was also the fact that there was bomb most likely hidden underneath the redheaded man's coat. Sherlock looked his normal self, but there was an extra bulkiness that lay hidden underneath the redheaded man's coat.

"Watch them," the woman ordered to the other men, "I hope your man Cahill are worthy. IF not it will be your neck."

"Sherlock already gave you the bomb, I'm telling you the man's a bloody genius," Cahill told her.

"So, I've heard," the woman told him, "I just hope that he can stay competent and obedient, for your sake."

"He's better on the drugs, you just have to wait for him to get hooked again."

John swallowed, drugs? That's what they had been doing to him…well; at least John hoped it was unwillingly. They were going to have big issues if they all got out of this mess.

"He works better with an incentive and a craving," Cahill told her.

"Come on," the woman told him, "Lets go."

John heard car doors open and close as a few men walked out past John, following where the red-headed man and Sherlock had gone before a van drove out onto the street.

John hid for a few moments longer. He needed help; he couldn't do this by himself. No matter how much training he had, he knew he couldn't take on this many to get rid of this problem.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket to see he had 14 missed calls. John frowned at his phone, she was gone, why was she calling him.

His phone beeped once more.

_John where in the HELL are you? We need your help. _

_- KG_

John was about to reply when he received another message.

_Miss Gibbs and Miss Morastan are going to interfere. DO not let them._

_-MH_

Okay, now it was making sense. Kylie had obviously escaped but why in the hell had Mary gotten out?

John dialed Kylie's number and prayed that he wasn't making an even bigger mistake by involving the two women, but Sherlock was in trouble, and he'd be damned if he was just going to watch his drugged friend help to blow up the British nation over a cab driver.

**Review? Pretty Please?**


	115. Chapter 115

**I am so sorry it took me so long to update guys! I was gone all weekend chaperoning a trip with the team I coach…. 16 teenage girls who some are only a couple years younger and boy crazy and have no since of the real world is a little insane….**

**Hahah anyhow, a HUGE Thanks to my reviewers! **

**Elleari: Thanks so much my dear! If you need help I'm always here to bounce ideas off of! But thanks, I def do not drop work or my schoolwork to write. School and work come first, always. **

**BekCholie: Its all good! Hahah But thanks! Glad at least one part of that made you laugh! And you shall see!**

**A Huge thanks to 2205, thegirlwiththebrowneyes, gwilwillith, don't fade away, alovelycupofcoffee, bored411, X-poisoncherry-x, ahsilaa, and chelgallifreya221B for their AMAZING feedback as well!**

**Its short…. again…. sorry!  
ENJOY!**

"How in the hell does Mycroft really expect us to just sit and wait for the men to do all the work?" Mary ranted as Kylie slammed on the brakes before turning off the engine and jumping out of the car.

Mary followed suit as she and Kylie spun around looking up at the famous clock tower that was known as Big Ben.

Kylie squinted around at the people walking by, "John's got to be around here somewhere."

"Kylie…" Mary said as she stared in the opposing direction.

Kylie followed her gaze. That's when she saw it; a dark mop of hair being essentially held up by an unfamiliar burly man with red hair, bulkily moving in the crowd that was now culminating in the parliament square. She couldn't tell as he was so far away, but something didn't look right as they disappeared into the entrance of the parliament building. Sherlock hated touching people and would never allow for anyone to hold him up like that. Hell, Kylie was the only one who could hug him….

Kylie took a step forward as to follow them.

"KYLIE! MARY!" John's voice rang out from behind them. Kylie turned around before she saw John sprinting over to them, worry written all over his face.

"OH thank God," Mary said with relief as she ran to John catching him in an embrace as she held her fiancé tightly to her.

John hugged her and kissed her forehead as he pulled away to look at her with concern, "You should be with Mycroft."

Mary frowned and glared at him, "The hell I'm going to…"

"Guys as touching as this reunion is," Kylie interrupted, "Can we please go help Sherlock?" she asked with a slight panic as she began trying to walk towards where she had seen Sherlock disappear to, "He just went…"

"Into Parliament," John said as he dropped his embrace with Mary, "I know." John paused for a moment as Kylie looked at him strangely. He ran a hand through his hair, "Look, Kylie. There's something that you need to…"

Before John could finish, gunshots rang out. Kylie and John instinctively ducked behind the car, pulling Mary down with them.

"What in the hell?" Kylie muttered as people began screaming.

The shots finally stopped, causing them all to look at each other before cautiously standing back up, gazing to where the shots originated.

"The square," Mary breathed before she sprinted towards it.

"MARY!" John yelled before he and Kylie tore after her towards a now hysterical group of people.

They sprinted towards the Parliament Square to see people in hysterics. Pure fear raged throughout the crowd of people, none of them having any idea of what to do or where to go. They were all frightened for their lives.

"SOMEONE GET THE PARAMEDICS!" a man yelled from the entrance as they neared it. John and Mary almost ran into Kylie as she reached the entrance and stopped in her tracks at the sight before her.

"Bloody hell," John muttered under his breath as the trio gazed at the entrance to the parliament building.

Blood covered the entrance completely. Five heavily armed guards lay dead on the floor. Large caliber bullet holes covered the marble floor and wall of the building as more guards came charging down the hall.

"Please don't tell me that Sherlock helped do this," Mary whispered in a frightened voice.

"There's no way he did," Kylie told her before sprinting forward into the building

"Kylie!" John yelled before running after her once more. Kylie pushed past the on coming guards who stopped immediately.

"Miss you can't!" one of them began.

"SCOTLAND YARD!" Kylie yelled as she sprinted past, John and Mary close behind.

"MISS STOP!" someone yelled at them as they kept running. Kylie paused at a split in the hallway.

She had no idea where he was, none at all. She was in one of the largest buildings in the British nation, with no idea where her boyfriend was being taken, or what he was up to.

This was an impossible task, security were going to be all over them in a moment…. She just needed to find him…

**&^( &()#**

"Sherlock you got to bloody snap out of it," Peter told him as he dropped him onto the floor carefully in the damp basement of the room.

Sherlock shut his eyes. The pain needed to stop. It was unbearable. His entire body hurt, his skin felt as if it were crawling and on fire. He couldn't think, his mind was clouded in pain. He needed to move, to get out of here, to find a way out, but his body hurt too much, his limbs felt like they had boulders attached to them.

"Come on," Peter said slapping Sherlock's face lightly, "You need to just do this. Focus, come on," he muttered.

"Get going," one of Violet's flunkies told them.

Peter looked warily at the man who was sent to escort them in. The same man who had helped kill all of those guards. The same man who was going to help kill them then sell his daughter into the sex trade if he didn't do what they say.

"He's in too much pain," Peter told him.

"How is that my problem?" The man asked.

"Don't you have anything?" Peter asked, "Give him a hit at least. He's not going to be able to function."

A hit….GOD HE NEEDED ONE! The craving for drugs was overwhelming. Completely and utterly overwhelming. It was the only hope to lessen his pain even by a miniscule amount.

"After," the man told him.

"The pain alone is going to kill him," Peter argued.

"Well then you better work bloody faster," the man growled.

"I would if I could, but I need his brain working to ensure that this goes down exactly as your boss wants it, so could you please just give him a BLOODY hit?" Peter told him with frustration.

The man looked at Peter and Sherlock skeptically before finally walking over and handing a tourniquet and needle to Peter.

"Thank you," Peter muttered to him before knelling down next to Sherlock and rolling up his sleeve.

"Here you go mate," Peter told him as he tied off his arm, looking for a vein before injecting the needle into his bloodstream.

Relief and warmth spread through him like a warm blanket. His pain faded almost instantly as his muscles began to unclench and relax, causing his whole body to become slack. He wanted more, more of this feeling… more of the drug. It wasn't enough; it wasn't the same as it had been the first time..He wanted that feeling back, he craved that…. It was overwhelming.

"Come on Bud," Peter said slapping his face lightly, "I need you to focus. Can you do that for me? You need to do it for that girlfriend you are here because apparently."

Kylie…

Sherlock shut his eyes and blinked a few times, willing himself to focus.

"Set up the bomb to this," Peter said holding up a phone, "When it gets a call, it will go off, understand?"

Sherlock blinked a few more times as he tried his best to nod.

"Good man," Peter said with a smile, "I have to go find parliament, but thug 1 will stay with you. Get out when you are done, got it?"

Sherlock found himself being pulled up to a sitting position as the duffle bag was scooted towards him.

"Got it?" Peter asked again.

"Enough chit chat," the "thug" said gruffly, "Get going," he told Peter.

Peter gave Sherlock one last look before exiting the room.

Sherlock blinked a few more times before trying his damndest to open the duffle. The thug just watched him as he blindly groped for it. He was high out of his mind and in no way shape or form ready to make a bomb.

Once he finally got it open he wavered slightly blinking before looking in the bag, gaining a little more control of his motor skills.

He willed his brain to turn on as he began cutting wires with shaky hands. He needed to think, he felt numb but all he could think of was getting that first high… it was better than anything he'd ever experienced…

STOP!

It is.

Kylie, what about Kylie? Your cases? Your work?

No… this is better. I NEED this.

"OI!" the guard said, "Focus! I don't need you blowing both of us up."

Sherlock blinked before he looked down and began cutting the wires once more. Maybe he could get more if he finished this…

**&^(*# **

Peter took a breath as he neared the parliament door. He could hear the session taking place. The guards had been called to the front to deal with the shooting, leaving this door unattended. His heart was beating at about a thousand miles per hour. How could it not? His daughter was being held as insurance and he had a bomb strapped to his chest as he was walking into parliament. This was not going to end well, he knew that. He just hoped he could buy enough time for Sherlock to get out and his daughter out of Violet Hunter's pockets. He owed Sherlock Holmes his life. He had saved him many times years ago, he had been just a kid at the time, but he was brilliant, he always had been. If it weren't for him and Lola, he would have been dead a long time ago.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before placing his hand on the handle of the door.

"God, please let them live," he prayed before he turned the handle and walked into the heart of the British nation, with a bomb strapped to his chest.

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	116. Chapter 116

**A huge thanks to all of My AMAZING reviewers!  
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**Your reviews mean a lot! Here's the next one! I hope you guys enjoy!**

"Excuse me SIR!" an older man in the stands yelled as Peter walked into the room trying not to make eye contact with anyone at all, "You cannot be in here!"

"Where in the hell is security?" Someone else yelled.

"Shut up," Peter muttered as he tried to calm himself. He had to remember to read the paper, that's all he was supposed to do, stay here, read the paper and wait for further instructions.

"What in the hell is going on?"

"This is absurd, we should fire all of security…"

"I knew this would happen, this wouldn't be going on if I was speaker…"

"SHUT UP!" Peter yelled as he removed his jacket revealing the bomb that was strapped to his chest.

The room immediately went silent as he pulled out the paper.

"Everyone needs to remain quiet," he said as he unfolded the paper, "I have a message that you lot all need to hear." Peter swallowed as he began to read, he had no idea what was written on here, he just knew that if he didn't pull off this and stick to the script exactly, his daughter was going to be worse than dead.

"I am not here on behalf of the British nation, in fact I am here opposing them. The leaders of this country need to know that they are no longer in control of the British nation, nor its people. No, there is a new power, a new global power that has no country, no land, just people. People who are free of opposition, free of laws, just power. You should be ready for this tidal wave to hit the British nation, for they have the honor of being the beginning of the end; the end of the world as we know it. You lot will the only ones who know the truth behind this whole façade. The rest of the world will believe this to be a terrorist attack, but this my friends, is just the opposite…"

***&( )#( **

John, Kylie, and Mary sprinted down the halls of the parliament building blindly. Kylie ran in the lead with John right behind her while Mary was slowing behind them all. They began to dodge and weave through the swarm of guards and chaos of people in the building searching for the redheaded man and the mop of dark curls that they were looking for.

Kylie's heart was pounding, something was wrong she could feel it. It wasn't just the fact that five guards had been killed in the front of one of the most secure buildings in the world; no there was something wrong with Sherlock. He hadn't looked right when she had seen him from such a distance. He was hurt, or sick or something…. she couldn't place her finger on it, but she knew she had to get to him quickly.

Kylie suddenly turned to the left and looked at a long corridor, stopping her in her tracks. John and then Mary nearly ran into her as they followed her gaze. The corridor was completely empty and doors lined the sides. He could be in any one of these rooms.

"Split up and find him," Mary said as she tore off in the other direction to a single wall of doors behind them, opening one up and going in to check out the empty supply closet for any sign of him.

Kylie looked at John for a half second before pulling the gun out of her coat pocket and opening the first door on the right. John took the door on the left as he did the same.

Both emerged at the same time to glance at each other and see that Mary had opened three more doors and had disappeared into another.

They looked at each other before opening the next and repeating the process. It was slow, but they needed to find him. There were thousands of rooms in this building and they unfortunately had no idea which one he would be in. Only John had a clue of what he was up to, and he wasn't about to tell Kylie that her boyfriend was making a bomb to find the taxi driver whom they all thought was endangering their lives.

****()#_ )!**

Mary poked her head out of the deserted office she had just looked through to see an empty hallway. She sighed, this was going to take forever, they just needed to find him and there was most likely a much better way of doing this than searching room after room.

You need to find him, for John for Kylie…

Mary quickly moved on to the next door that had a security pad next to it.

…That's odd, none of the others had that.

Mary tried the knob and shrugged as she found it to be open. She flung the door open and sprinted in.

Big Mistake….

Mary swallowed as she saw about ten guards staring back at her as they watched the security tape replying over and over again as Sherlock, the redheaded man, and two others entered the parliament building carrying a duffel bag.

"Sorry," Mary said with a smile, "Wrong room…."

"Stop Miss," One of the guards said standing up as she tried to leave the room. Mary froze shutting her eyes, debating within herself whether to run or stay exactly where she was.

"You are trespassing," the guard told her.

"I'm err, with Scotland Yard," Mary told them.

"You have some identification?" another asked as the door opened behind her.

"I'll take it from here gents," a smooth looking dark haired man in a tee-shirt and jeans told them as he grabbed Mary by the arm and yanked her out of the room. The guards backed down immediately, much to Mary's confusion. Who in the hell was this guy?

"Let go of me," Mary said as she struggled against the powerful mans grip.

"I think we need to have a chat miss," the man told her as he led her down the hall towards the entrance of the building.

**&^)( )#( **

John opened what seemed like the hundredth door. He needed to find him. This was taking forever. He needed to find his friend and get him help. He just hoped that it wasn't as bad as it looked.

Wait…

John froze in the entrance of the door.

"Hurry up!"

"I'm done."

Sherlock, he heard Sherlock, he was here. John drew the gun and slowly entered the room. He peered around the corner. Sherlock looked like hell. He was leaned up against a wall with his eyes shut as another man inspected something against the wall.

"Good," He said gruffly.

"I want it," Sherlock told him.

"What?" The man asked.

"My reward," Sherlock said in a shaky voice, "I want my reward."

"You've had it already," the man said as he pulled out his phone.

"Freeze," John said as he stepped out, placing the gun against the man's head.

The man stiffened as Sherlock looked at John in shock.

The man began laughing, "You think that you can stop this?" the man asked before whirling around with great quickness and pulling the gun out of John's hands before he could react.

"Thanks man," the man said smiling as he now pointed the gun at him, "Go sit next to you your mate."

John glowered as he eyed the bomb before sitting on the ground next to Sherlock.

"You alright?" John whispered to him.

"NO TALKING!" the thug yelled.

"Now, why are you here?" he asked, "Other than trying to get your friend back?"

"Helping his girlfriend get him back," Kylie said before the butt of her gun hit the back of his head knocking him out instantly.

Kylie watched as John immediately began to check Sherlock over, inspecting him for harm.

Kylie took one look at Sherlock before her breath caught in her throat. He was pale, oh so pale. His eyes were vacant, as if the life had been drained from them completely.

Kylie essentially hopped over the man's body as she knelt next to Sherlock, running a hand through his sweaty hair.

"What did they do to you?" She asked looking at him. She felt her heart break. This wasn't him, he was never like this. She had seen him in pain, this wasn't him. It was as if his brain had turned off and he had vacated his body, leaving a Sherlock shell behind.

"Kylie," John told her softly, his heart breaking as he prepared himself to tell her this, "They drugged him."

"Drugged him?" Kylie asked as she let a few tears escape running a hand up and down his chest, hoping to bring back her Sherlock, "Well, with what? I mean he's been drugged before…"

"Not like that," John told her motioning to his arms gently, "They drugged him with his weakness."

Kylie let out a sob as she saw the track marks on his forearms. Heroine, those bastards had dosed him up on heroine. He was high, that's what was wrong, he was just high out of his mind.

"But…" Kylie said looking at John helplessly. There was nothing she could do, nothing to help him, nothing to make this go away. John just looked at her with pain written all over his face. He felt the same way; he just wanted his friend back. He knew the man would have a tough road to go after this, but right now, they just needed to get him out of here.

John watched as Kylie looked back at Sherlock running a hand over his face as tears ran down her face. Sherlock was so out of it, so numb, that he hadn't even reacted to her presence, hell he had barely reacted to John entering the room. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, kissing his forehead before placing her head in the crook of his neck. Sherlock blinked a few times as he tried his best to register what was going on, but no use, he was gone.

John reached a hand out to Kylie, pulling her away from him slightly, "We'll get him help, but we need to get rid of this bomb first."

Kylie looked at John with confusion before seeing the bomb. How on earth had she missed that?

"Call Lestrade and let's just get him out of here," John told her as he flung the thugs body out of the way.

Kylie looked at Sherlock once more before sending a quick text to Lestrade and standing up as John walked back over.

"Come on Sherlock," John said as he and Kylie lugged Sherlock up and dragged him out of the room. As soon as they were out the door, they heard a phone ringing.

Kylie looked at John with confusion, "Is that yours?"

"No," John said as he shook his head. Then it hit him. The bomb….

"RUN," John yelled as he pulled Sherlock along away from the room as fast as he could. An explosion on the other side of the building caused the entire hallway to shake. John pulled them all behind a corner and pulled Kylie to the ground, covering her with his body and his friend as best as he could just as the bomb that Sherlock had just rigged exploded, causing the building around them to crumble.

Dust, noise, and light were all that were around them. It seemed like ages as he waited for the pain to stop as more and more things fell on top of his body.

Finally it stopped. John looked up from where he lay to see the smoke that was all around him. He coughed and wheezed as the dust and rubble around him settled. He tried to move…. Nothing hurt too severely, but then again, a bomb had just gone off.

He knocks the rubble off his back as he lifted himself off of Kylie as he tried to will the ringing out of his ears.

"You okay?" He asked her as she winced.

"Yeah," she muttered before looking next to him at Sherlock.

"Oh God," she said in horror at the sight beside them.

John looked at well, feeling the breath catch in his throat.

No…. Not him too….

**Review? Pretty please?**


	117. Chapter 117

**A HUGE thanks to my amazing readers and reviewers!**

**Thanks to Ahsilaa, thegirlwiththebrowneyes, bored411, livelaughlovelisten, alovelycupofcoffee, gwilwillith, sherlockian, sky writes, and chelgallifreya221B613 for their amazing reviews!  
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**Here's the next one, it's a bit longer but not super long…. sorry….**

Kylie's heart dropped into her stomach as she laid eyes on Sherlock who lay next to her. Rubble, dust covered his body as he lay face up, his eyes trying to not roll into the back of his head. He made a strange noise as he tried to breathe, but that was understandable. Blood was mixing into the rubble rather quickly as a shard of metal from the reinforced roof stuck through his chest.

"Oh God," Kylie said as she began to lose it, crawling as fast as she could towards him.

John followed her gaze and quickly followed her over to his friend.

Kylie had tears rapidly flowing down her face as she removed her peacoat, pressing it into the wound around his chest.

"Please, stay with us," Kylie pleaded with him as she went to pull the metal out.

"No," John said sternly as he grabbed her hands, removing them from the metal, "leave it in, it helps block the bleeding."

"John its…." Kylie began frantically as she looked at where the metal was sticking out of.

"I know," John said as he took over the pressure on the wound, looking skeptically at it. He could literally feel his friend's body going into shock as tachycardia began. His blood pressure was falling quickly as the metal went through what looked to be the center of his heart.

Kylie was a complete wreck as she was crying, trying to soothe him as best she could, stroking his hair and face as she begged him to continue to be with the living.

Help had to be on the way. John's hands were tied while he was in such a filthy environment and no extra blood on hand. He couldn't do anything as he just held Kylie's coat to his chest in attempt to slow the bleeding.

"HELP! SOMEBODY!" Kylie yelled as she sobbed into his hair, praying, hoping that he would make it through.

"HELLO?" Someone yelled.

"HELP!" John yelled back as Kylie sat up looking down the dusty and rubble filled hallway as a figure approached, "We have a man down."

Like a miracle, a paramedic who had been helping the fallen officers outside made his way through the rubble, seeing the metal sticking out of Sherlock's chest yelled back for a backboard and a more assistance.

"Please help him," Kylie pleaded.

"You his wife?" the paramedic asked taking note of the ring that Kylie was wearing.

"Yes, she's his wife," John imputed for her. She practically was… well, as far as could be considered for Sherlock Holmes, "Doctor John Watson," he added, "Let's just get him to a hospital."

***& ()*# **

Mary pulled at her handcuffs in annoyance. She needed to get to John. A Freaking BOMB had gone off and she was locked in this bloody van, cuffed to the desk of the goddamn surveillance van.

She needed to get out of here. She still had no clue as to who in the hell that guy was, or why he had sprinted out back to the Parliament building.

This was absurd, she just wanted to find her fiancé, make sure Sherlock and Kylie were safe and curl up in her bed with a cup of tea and John.

…. Too damn bad that was so out of the question as of right now….

***&*( )(#_ **

"Miss we need to check you out as well," the paramedic told Kylie as she sat in the back of the ambulance with John, a second medic, and Sherlock as they raced towards the nearest hospital.

"I'm fine," Kylie bit as she held Sherlock's hand as tightly as she could.

"Miss your shoulder…." The medic said looking at her severely bruised shoulder that was still dark from her dislocation.

Kylie glanced at it; she hadn't even felt it since she was on the plane with her father. It was supposed to still be in a sling and she was shocked that no one had said anything yet…. well, its not like they had had any down time since they had all caught up.

"Kylie," John groaned as he was assisting the other paramedic.

"I'll live," Kylie told him firmly, "Sherlock on the other hand…." She trailed off, trying not to think of the harsh reality that could very possibly happen. Sherlock was fading quickly and Kylie couldn't imagine what would happen to her if he were gone. She felt as if the entire earth could be pulled out from under her at any moment. If he died…

She couldn't even think it.

She shut her eyes and bent down, laying a kiss on his hand as she struggled not to fall apart right then and there. She loved him so much, he was her world. She couldn't even comprehend what life would be like with out him. She had already lost her partner and good friend, she couldn't lose the love of her life, her life partner…. She just couldn't.

"Don't you dare leave me," she whispered to him as she pressed her forehead into the back of his hand, praying to God that He would allow Sherlock to live.

If it weren't for him, Kylie had no idea where she would be. After Thomas, when she had first moved to London, she had cut, she had been in a bad place, but meeting him and John had saved her from that. He had helped her avoid that dark place after Thomas had raped her once more. He was her rock, her grasp on reality when everything was spinning out of control. She needed him, needed him so badly. He couldn't leave her… he just couldn't…

"Miss," the medic told her.

"Kylie, you have to let go, they need to take him to surgery," John told her as he gently peeled her away from him.

Kylie looked around as she noticed they had stopped moving and the doors to the ambulance were open as they unloaded Sherlock, wheeling him into the Emergency room.

Kylie looked at John, whose hands were clean as he had removed his gloves and allowed him to gently pull her out of the van.

She made to follow him into Surgery, but John grabbed her before she could take three steps.

"Let them do their job Kylie," John told her.

Kylie began crying once more as John pulled her into his arms. He couldn't imagine what she was going through, if this was Mary…

Oh God… Mary…

John began to freak out. The bomb, was Mary okay? Dear God, how on earth had it taken him this long to realize that his own FIANCE was missing in the same bomb blast? Dear God she deserved better.

John pulled away, causing Kylie to look at him.

"Mary, I have to find Mary," John said as he made his way towards the front desk, shoving his way to the front, only to have people argue.

"Mary Morstan," john asked the young woman at the front desk, "Do you have anyone named Mary Morstan here?"

"Sir you need to wait…" the woman began.

"ANSWER THE QUESTION!" John yelled.

"Sir I believe…" the woman started once more.

"Yes, or no," John breathed.

The woman looked at him skeptically before typing the name into the computer in front of her, "No, I don't have anyone by that name here."

John ran a hand through his hair before walking back over to Kylie and leading her to a chair. They both sat down, hoping at praying that their friends and lovers were okay.

**&&*( #_)!**

Mary kept pulling on her restraints, cursing at herself for never asking Kylie to teach her how to pick a lock. She needed to see if John was alright. Something was terribly wrong, she could feel it.

The van door opened and the same smooth looking dark haired man entered.

"I assure you you wont be able to get out of those," he told her calmly.

"Go to hell," Mary said as she tugged harder.

The man just smiled.

"I need you to answer some questions for me," the man told her.

"Who are you?" Mary asked.

"No, I ask the questions Miss Morstan," the man told her.

Mary froze, how did he know her name?

"Why were you in the parliament building?" he asked.

"Because I fancied a cup of tea," Mary bit back sarcastically.

The man smirked, "I assure you sarcasm is not necessary."

"In my opinion it is."

"I have been told to go to any lengths to get this information from you. And I mean any," the man told her as he brandished a hunting knife.

Mary swallowed. Okay, this guy wasn't messing around.

"Trying to find Sherlock Holmes," Mary told him.

"Good girl," the man told her, "Now, what do you have to do with the bomb blast?"

"Nothing, we were just looking for him. I know nothing about the blast."

"I don't like that answer," the man said as he brought the knife closer to her, "You see there are very slim chances of you being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"IT was," Mary told him.

"One last chance before I cut that pretty little ring off your finger," the man told her as he grabbed her wrist holding it still against the table.

"It's the truth!" Mary said beginning to panic.

The van door opened once more.

"Let her go," a voice told him firmly, "I assure you she is not a threat to British nation."

Mary turned to see none other than Mycroft Holmes standing there with a gaunt look and his umbrella.

"Sir," the man told him, uncuffing Mary immediately.

Mary stood up and clambered out of the van giving the man a weary look before standing beside Mycroft.

"Who is he?" Mary asked as Mycroft escorted her away from the van and into a dark car.

"MI6," Mycroft answered as they both climbed into the car, nodding at the driver before they began to pull away.

"MI6?" Mary gaped, "why was I taken for questioning by MI6?"

"Because like my brother, John, and Miss Gibbs, you have a habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time," Mycroft informed her as he typed on his phone.

Mary looked at him, "Where's John?"

"At the hospital," Mycroft told her, "He hasn't been harmed I assure you."

"Who has?" Mary asked dreading the answer.

"My brother," Mycroft said matter of factly, not letting any emotion through his voice.

Mary just looked at him. Form what John told her, Mycroft cared a lot for his little brother, but as of right now, he wasn't showing it a single bit. Hell, he could have just told her that the store had run out of milk.

No wonder he had gotten the name the "iceman".

***)# (_  
**

"Mycroft's on his way with Mary," John said as relief flowed through him.

Kylie didn't respond. She just kept staring at that same spot on the floor, trying to will herself to keep it together.

The man she loved was fighting for his life in a couple rooms over. She was sitting her, helpless. She had never felt so small, so useless. When he needed her most, she was just here, useless, unable to help him. He deserved better than this. He was such an amazing human being. He couldn't die. The world needed a man as brilliant as he. She shut her eyes and wished that it was her in that room. He would be safe. He would be alive.

She felt a hand cover hers. She looked to see John looking at her.

"There's nothing you can do for him right now," he assured her, "He'll pull through. God knows he's far too stubborn to die."

Kylie let out a sob at those words and hugged John tightly, crying into his shoulder. John wrapped his arms around his friend and tried to soothe her.

"You have already done so much for him Kylie. You have showed him that love isn't scary or irrational. You have opened him up more to feelings and emotions than anyone else could have and I will tell you, you make him happy. He loves you. I see it everyday. Though it took him long enough to admit it and figure it out for himself, he really does. He'll fight to live for you Ky, just keep remembering that."

Kylie was shaking as she cried harder at his words. John just held her tighter. He couldn't imagine losing his best friend. Sure he had thought he had for a miserable week, but that was something he did not want to repeat. He was so alone, so…lost without him. He needed this man in his life just as much as needed Mary. He was his best friend and never wanted to lose him as he had for that week after he faked his death.

Sherlock Holmes was a wonderful man and if they lost him…. Well, John didn't know how life would go on without him.

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	118. Chapter 118

**A huge thanks to all of my amazing reviewers!  
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**HEres the next one! Its longer! Enjoy!  
**

It had been three hours since they had arrived at the hospital and there was still no news of Sherlock's condition.

Mary and John sat next to Kylie as they looked at her with worry. They were all worried about their friend, but Kylie… they had never seen Kylie like this…

She was completely unresponsive as she kept staring at the ground, lost in her own thoughts and worries while tears streamed down her face. They both felt helpless, they had both tried their best to comfort her as much as they could but it was as if they weren't even in the room. She was so preoccupied with worry that that was the only thing that she could process.

Neither of them could blame her, Sherlock's outcome did not look that great. John had taken one look at his friend and had to push the statistics of his outcome out of his head. How the metal had lodged itself behind the sternum, it must have landed perfect between his ribs at just the right angle, but there was no way in hell that had missed his heart.

John glanced at Mycroft who was wandering back in from what seemed like his hundredth phone call in the last hour. If he wasn't talking on his phone, he was sitting in a chair uncomfortably typing on his phone. He was without a doubt trying to deal with the fact that half of the British government had been blown to pieces along with a very public attack.

John knew he was worried about his younger brother, but like him, Mycroft had a strange way of showing it. He was called the Iceman for a reason.

John ran a hand down his face; Sherlock should be out of surgery by now….

As if on cue, a tired looking doctor walked out of the back holding a file.

"I'm looking for anyone here for a Mr. Sherlock Holmes?" The man said reading the name on the file.

Kylie's head snapped up as Mycroft lowered his phone.

"Uh, Yes," John said standing up glancing at Kylie and Mycroft.

…_What would Sherlock want?_

"I need to speak with next of kin," the doctor told them as he walked over.

"I'm his brother," Mycroft said standing as he finished typing his email.

"And this is his wife," John told the doctor motioning to Kylie, causing Mary to smirk, and Kylie and Mycroft look at him as if he had lost his mind.

"Of course, Mrs. Holmes then," the doctor said as he glanced down at the file.

Kylie's mind was racing, what was he going to tell her? Was Sherlock dead? Did he make it? What was going to happen?

"Your husband was able to make it through surgery by some miracle of God," the doctor told them as Kylie let out a sigh of relief. He was alive….

"I will tell you that when he came in I was doubtful," the doctor continued, "The metal managed to wedge itself through the second and third rib close to the sternum and punctured his heart. The good news is, is that it didn't puncture both sides. We were able to repair most of the damage. But the location of the damage worries me."

The doctor took a breath, "The metal pierced the septum of the heart which is…"

"The muscular wall that separates the right and left ventricle," John supplied, causing the doctor to give him a strange look.

"Doctor, doctor, anthropologist, and. …Well, politician but he is familiar with anatomy I am sure," John told him pointing to each of them to explain how they knew what he was talking about.

The doctor gave them a sort of shocked look and shrugged, "Well then, as I am sure that you are well aware, the septum contains more than just muscle, but the electrical system of the heart as well in the form of the right and left bundle branches which initiates the contraction of the ventricles."

"So what does this mean for him?" Mary asked as she gave Kylie a worried glance, her friend looked slightly relieved at the fact that her boyfriend was alive, but the news that his heart may not be functioning correctly was not what was going to make her day any better.

"Like I said, we were able to fix most of the damage and his heart is as of right now beating on its own. What worries me though is bundle blocks are tricky. You can have someone in normal sinus rhythm and the next they have an arrhythmia. He has had a few minor arrhythmias, but we are going to monitor him for the next 24 hours and see how he fares."

"Can I see him?" Kylie asked in a quiet voice.

The doctor gave her a small smile, "Of course. But there is one more thing that I need to speak with you about," he told her as he ran a hand through his hair. "Were you aware that your husband was doing drugs?"

Kylie felt her breath catch in her throat as tears began to resurface. The heroine, she had completely forgotten about the heroine.

"Yes, she knew," John supplied for her, "Long story but a drug cartel kidnapped him and dosed him."

The doctor gave him a strange look, "I think I need to talk to Mrs. Holmes about this in private."

"No," Kylie said, "They stay."

"Mrs. Holmes, with all due respect, I cant have friends lying for a user if you expect your husband to …."

"They stay," Kylie said firmly.

The doctor sighed and then nodded.

"I am aware," Kylie told him as she began to slowly compose her self, closing her eyes and allowing her brain to function, "I am assuming because heroine showed up in his blood screen, you are unable to give him any pain medication."

The doctor nodded gravely, "Unfortunately yes. We had to put him in a medically induced coma. With your permission we can run what is known as a rapid opiate detox. Due to the pain, he is already sedated and this process would kick start his detoxing process."

"It would help his addiction?" Kylie asked quietly.

"The addiction, no," the doctor said shaking his head, "but it will help make the detox period more tolerable, the worst will happen when he is under. He will still have a tough road ahead of him with his heart and addiction."

Kylie took a breath, this decision should really be Mycroft's she wasn't even his wife. She glanced at John before looking at Mycroft who staring at her.

"He'd trust you with this," John told her.

Kylie swallowed and nodded.

"What are the risks?" she asked.

"Well, we have to be extremely careful with the amount of sedation, but based on the fact that we already had to put him in a medically induced coma, that shouldn't be an issue. The only thing is is that the stress of the treatment is what I worry about. We will need to have him under constant monitoring. The stress from the drugs will strain the already stressed heart…"

"So this treatment could kill him." Kylie told the doctor, "So why don't we just go cold turkey?"

"That's the tricky part. Heroine detox is by far one of the toughest to go through and puts the most strain on the heart and body. If we just let him rest now and allow for his body to naturally deal with the detox it maybe just as stressful if not more so and he wont be where we can monitor him. If you do this treatment we can get him through the worst of it and when he wakes up, he'll still have a lot to deal with, but not as much."

Kylie sighed once more; she didn't want to have to make this decision. She just wanted Sherlock back.

"Do it," Kylie told him, "Can I see him now?"

"Of course," the doctor said with a smile, "He wont be awake for a while though."

Kylie just nodded and allowed the doctor to lead her back towards the room that Sherlock was in. The rest of the group followed behind with the exception of Mycroft as his phone rang once more.

The doctor led John, Mary, and Kylie down a short hall to the left and through a door labeled ICU.

"He's just right in here," the doctor told them, "Take all the time you need."

Kylie paused outside the door. She didn't know why, but for some reason, what was on the other side of that door scared her. She was scared of seeing him like this. Sherlock Holmes was many things, but vulnerable and weak were not one of them.

"Well be right outside," Mary said as she laid a hand on Kylie's arm gently.

Kylie gave her a soft smile before looking at the door once more, taking a deep breath and slowly walking in.

Kylie's heart stopped at the sight before her. There he was, the man she loved more than anything on the face of the planet, in bed. He was covered in wires and tubes stuck out of everywhere. A heart monitor and EKG were beeping loudly with a thankfully constant but slow rhythm. His chest rose and fell slowly in shallow breaths as his pale skin had a faint layer of sweat. Gauze covered his chest that the hospital gown lacked to cover. He looked like something out of a nightmare. This wasn't him he looked so…. Hurt… so vulnerable to pain. ….

She approached him slowly, not really knowing how to treat the situation. She wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch him, hold him, but she was afraid that she would hurt him. He looked so…fragile…

She just stared at him. How could a man so strong look like this?

Kylie felt tears flow down her face once more as she ran a hand through his dark curls. He never laid this still. Even in sleep he would toss and turn ever so slightly, pulling her closer to him each and every time he did. She smiled as she thought about the little murmurs he made when she would try to wake him when he crashed after a case.

This wasn't that though, he was so still, his breathing not as deep as it usually was.

Kylie sat in the chair next to the bed and gingerly took his hand, letting her tears fall freely. She hurt so badly for him. She just wanted him to open his eyes and make a snippy remark at her for being "an idiot" and run off with her to go track Cahill and his gang. All she wanted is to have him hold her…. tell her it was all going to be okay.

Charlie was dead, Sherlock was here….

Her world was hanging on by a thread.

"He's going to make it Kylie," Mary said softly from behind her, "He's strong. Too strong for his own good."

Kylie sniffed and wiped her eyes as she ran a hand through his curls, trying to tame the unruliness of them while John took the seat on the other side, staring at his friend with the same awkwardness and worry that Kylie had.

"I know," Kylie said as she shut her eyes, "I know he is."

The heart monitor began beeping as all of their attention went to the small screen. Nurses came into the room and began shoving them out.

"What's going on?" Kylie asked as fear took over her once more.

"You just need to leave Miss, I promise we have it under control," the nurse said as she ushered them out of the room and into the hallway once more.

Kylie stared as the door was shut on them. She felt helpless. Here the man she loved was fighting for his life and she was standing in the hallway, unable to help him in any way.

"Come on," Mary said as she led her to a bench across from a TV.

The news was playing on the explosion at the parliament as it had been since they had arrived. Kylie glanced at it and sighed as her thoughts still lay in the room with Sherlock.

"Wait," John said sitting up straight as he looked at the screen, "Turn it up please?" he asked the nurse at the station.

The nurse obliged and the newscasters voice echoed through out the hallway.

"… What is being called the largest terrorist attack on British soil? The United nations have been called for a meeting in what may seem to be the beginning of yet further invasion of the Middle East. No terrorism group has claimed responsibility but it is highly suspected of Al Qaeda being behind the attack. More than 200 people were killed in the attack including all of British Parliament. Response teams are still responding to the scene. But the real question is, where does this tragedy put the British nation? With our leaders dead in the attack, whom will the British people turn to?"

"Why would Cahill do this?" Mary asked, "Why would a drug Lord blow up parliament?"

"It wasn't Cahill," John told them quietly.

Kylie and Mary's head snapped towards him.

"What do you mean?" Mary asked, "Cahill was the one who took Kylie and I away, he was the one who…"

"No," John said shaking his head, "There was a woman in charge as well…"

"Violet Hunter," Kylie muttered remembering her conversation with Mycroft, "Oh God he was right."

"Whose Violet Hunter?" John asked, "You know who that woman was?"

"Mycroft knows her…." Kylie said standing up, "And twenty bucks says this is her way of starting world war three."

"Breaking news just coming in," the reporter began once more as Kylie stopped in her tracks, "We have just received a note from those claiming to be responsible for the attack. The note reads as follows:

_People of the British nation,_

_You have had your chance to follow a new government, a new power. One that will be untouched by terrorism, untouched by violence as people will quiver in the fear and power of this nation. There will be more devastation until the government hands itself over; more death and pain that can be stopped, stopped by those who have the power. We must end the people who did this. End it now, it is your choice._"

"Bloody hell," john whispered as Kylie tore back down the hall finding Mycroft on the phone once more.

She walked over and grabbed the phone out of his hand putting it up to her ear, "Mr. Holmes will have to get back to you," before hanging it up.

"Miss Gibbs…" Mycroft began in slight shock of her actions.

"Violet Hunter," Kylie told him, "She's behind all of this. She's blaming the bombing on Al Qaeda and killed 80% of the British government, which as you lead me to believe, your 'mole' had full access to the plans. Why you allowed that bomb to go off in the first place I have no fucking idea, but I know you wouldn't want a bomb to go off in a government building, so start talking… now…."

Mycroft just stared at her before giving her a small smile… iceman indeed…

"Violet Hunter has given us an ultimatum as you can tell by the news, but I assure you that you have nothing to do with it…."

"Nothing to do with it my ass," Kylie growled, "That bomb, is the one your brother made. That bomb was the same one that caused a piece of metal to go through his heart and your mole failed to stop that crazy bitch from giving him heroine, recreating his tolerance, and blew up the entire governmental system and a building. So I think that I have a right to want to skin a bitch."

"It is being handled I assure you," Mycroft told her.

"Why didn't your mole step in?" Kylie asked.

"He tried," Mycroft told her quietly with reluctance, "He was assigned to Cahill and apparently Miss Hunter told them that she was not going to set off the bomb, only threaten to. It seems that Miss Hunter does not keep to her word."

Kylie nodded, "Do you know where the next target is?"

Mycroft just looked at her, giving her all the answers she needed.

"Just promise me that you will stay here and make sure he is okay," She asked him quietly.

"You do not need to involve yourself…" Mycroft began.

"I know," Kylie told him pointedly before turning on her heel and walking past a confused John and Mary. Kylie pulled the phone she had taken from Mycroft, thankful that they had the exact same model, and sent a single text, signing it with his initials as she quickly walked to the door of Sherlock's room pushing her way in.

Mary just looked at John with confusion, "I guess I'll go get her a cup of tea. That ought to calm her down right?"

John just nodded as he glanced at Mycroft who was playing with his umbrella deep in thought as he sat expecting a call. Mary walked down the hall towards the food court while John looked at Kylie arguing with a nurse in the room. She went over to Sherlock, brushing his hair back and whispering something to him before kissing him softly.

Kylie walked back out giving Sherlock one last look.

"You okay?" John asked as Kylie's phone beeped, or what appeared to be Kylie's phone….

"Yeah," she responded as she looked at the text, "Come on. We have to end this."

John glanced at Mycroft, "End what?"

"You want to help Sherlock?" Kylie asked as she walked towards the ER entrance, and away from Mycroft pulling John with her, "we need to stop the British nation from collapsing."

John knew what she was talking about, but it was crazy…. They were two people, and they didn't have the one person who was clever enough to stop it; Sherlock Holmes…

"I know you love this country John, and right now, both Sherlock and your country need us to help stop this before it starts," Kylie said wheeling around to face him, "You with me?"

John nodded, "You know where the attack will be?"

"No, but we're going to see the one person who may know," Kylie said as she walked out the door and onto the street.

"And where's that?" John asked as he struggled to keep up with her long pace.

"Rehab," Kylie answered with a grin.

**Review?**


	119. Chapter 119

**Thanks to everyone who has been reading and especially those of you who reviewed! I know that I have lost a bunch of readers lately and I just wanted to take the time to say thanks to those of you who have stayed with me through my writing troubles! I hope that I am getting the story back on track and that you guys are enjoying it!**

**A huge thanks to Chelgallifreya221B613, holmesiswheretheheartis, x-poisoncherry-x, and bored411 for their amazing reviews!**

**Heres the next one! Its short and needed for the plot, so sorry….**

"Kylie have you completely lost your mind?" John asked as he hopped out of the cab following her quickly, "Who in the hell do you think is going to help us? I mean Jesus?" John said as he looked at the building, "Rehab?"

"Just play along," Kylie told him as she pressed the buzzer, ignoring her phone ringing.

"Its ten at night," John argued quietly as he glanced at his watch, "They aren't going to let us in. and dear God, that's the fifth time its rang aren't you going to pick up your phone?"

"Yes they will," Kylie said with a smile as the door was buzzed open, "and it's not for me."

Kylie grinned at John before throwing the door open and walking into the tidy, yet small clinic.

John Frowned and followed her in. What did she mean not for her? It was her phone? This had to be Kylie having a mental break down…. It had to be, going to a rehab clinic for information? Who the hell did she know in rehab?

"Excuse me," A woman behind a desk said, "I'm sorry, I believe we were expecting someone else."

"We're here in place of Mr. Holmes," Kylie stated, "He apologizes that he got pulled away for other reasons…. well, I'm sure you've heard," Kylie told her with a smile.

John looked at Kylie as if she had completely lost her mind. Did she think that they were going to check themselves into rehab?

The woman gave her a sad smile, "Yes, unfortunately."

"May we see her then?" Kylie asked raising her eyebrow at the woman.

_Her?_

"Of course Miss," The woman said as she walked out from behind the desk.

Kylie sent a grin towards John before following the woman immediately.

John just gaped at her, what in the hell were they doing? Seriously, Sherlock had rubbed off on Kylie a little too much….

The woman lead them down the hallway and towards the left before she stopped in front of a door before turning back towards them.

"I'm afraid that Miss Emerson is in the worst part of her rehab. I don't know how much talking she'll be up to…"

"I assure you that this is of national importance and Mr. Holmes and I wouldn't be asking this of you if it weren't completely necessary," Kylie told her sternly.

The woman just looked at her for a moment before knocking on the door softly.

"Miss Emerson," the woman said quietly before opening the door and turning on the lights, "You have some visitors."

John peered into the now brightly lit room. It was small and tidy as only a few belongings lined the desk including what looked like a journal and few pictures were hung up. John peered closely at the drawings, he was a few feet away from them as he was still standing in the doorway, but they looked like…. No… were those drawings of… Sherlock?

Goddammit Kylie… That was Mycroft's phone wasn't it?

A lump underneath the covers of the bed moved slightly and groaned, shifting some blond hair out from underneath the covers.

"Miss Emerson," The woman said gently as she walked into the room, "you need to wake up, these people have some questions for you."

The woman in the bed sat up and John gaped. He knew this woman, knew exactly who it was.

"Lola?" John whispered to Kylie, "You think that Sherlock's old drug buddy is going to know where the bomb is?"

"Hey Lola," Kylie said gently.

Lola took one look at her. She looked like hell, but slightly better than the last time Kylie had seen her. Her hair was cleaner, she was wearing clean clothes, her skin was brighter and gaining color, but her eyes were gaunt and pain and worry lined her face.

"You," Lola said bitterly to Kylie.

"Hello," Kylie told her gently, "Look I know you think…"

"WHORE!" Lola yelled.

"Oh yeah, this is going really well," John muttered, earning a glare from Kylie as the woman from the front desk tried to calm her.

"Lola, these people just want to talk," she told her trying to calm her as much as she could.

"No," Lola said as she shook her head, "She stole him."

"Lola, I didn't steal him from you," Kylie told her knowing exactly what she was referencing, "I'm not here about that, I'm here because Sherlock is in trouble and needs your help. I need your help saving him."

Lola immediately stopped and stared at her before getting up and wandering over to the drawings she had done, running a hand down them softly, exposing her scared wrists.

Kylie swallowed, this poor woman….

"Yes," she said gently as she slowly walked into the room, "He's been hurt, badly."

"He's dead?" Lola said looking at her quickly.

"No, he's still alive," Kylie told her, "but he's still not in the clear. Cahill hurt him, and I need to know what he was up to. I need to stop him Lola, I need to ensure that he can't hurt Sherlock anymore, but I can't do it without your help."

Lola looked back at the drawing and swallowed, her eyes looking at it lovingly.

"Cahill's been good to me," Lola told her.

"He hasn't," Kylie told her, "Can't you see that now? Look what he has made you into! Lola, do you even think he cares that you are here?"

Lola blinked a few more times, "he cares…"

"No he doesn't," Kylie told her, "He nearly killed Sherlock as he is helping a psychopath kill half of the British government and begin a war with the rest of the world."

Lola looked at her trying to process the information as her body begin to shake.

"I need…." Lola begin saying, as her shaking grew stronger.

"NO you don't!" the woman from the desk told her sternly, "You don't need the drugs."

"YES! I DO!" Lola yelled as her muscles physically clenched.

Kylie watched in horror as the woman began to tend to her as John helped, pressing the assistance button as more orderlies sprinted in.

"She thinks that the drugs are her only way to deal with stress," the woman explained as the orderlies helped to restrain Lola on the bed and administering some medication.

Kylie watched horrified. Is this what Sherlock was going to go through? This was horrible. The man she loved was going to go through this pain, this suffering that she was watching this poor woman go through. Kylie had never felt so helpless in her life. In every situation, she could find something to do, something to help, but here, there was nothing she could to do to prevent the pain that Lola was going through… what Sherlock was going to go through….

Lola's body finally seemed to relax as the orderlies began to step away from her. She lay on the bed in what looked like some sort of restraint jacket. Kylie just gaped, this was treatment?

"She should be more.. Compliment…" one of the orderlies told her as he walked out of the room.

"I just need to talk to her, not have her tortured!" Kylie gaped at him.

The man just scoffed at her, "Obviously you don't hang around addicts. They are all little bastards."

"Obviously you need to check your ethics as a health professional," Kylie bit back in disgust at the man's behavior. They were treating her like an animal, not someone who was sick.

"You have no…" The man began as he stepped towards Kylie before the woman from the desk interfered.

"That's enough Mr. Thomas, back to your station please," she told him pointedly.

The orderly huffed before giving Kylie one last glare and storming out of the room.

Kylie looked at Lola who was lying on the bed much more quiet and muttering to herself in a disturbing fashion.

"Lola," the woman said gently once more, "Will you please sit up for me?"

Lola sat up slowly, gazing at the floor through half-hooded eyes.

"Dear God," Kylie heard John whisper, "What'd they give her?"

"A calming agent," the woman sighed.

"Lola," Kylie said slowly as she approached the bed, "I need to know, do you know what Cahill wants with Violet Hunter? What they are up to?"

"Miss Hunter…" Lola said as if she was in a dream, "She was nice…"

"What do you know about her? Why is she working with Cahill?" Kylie prodded.

"She's going to help Cahill spread his territory," Lola told them, "Ensure his power if he just helped her with a task."

"That's why he wanted Sherlock," John imputed.

"Its because we are the only ones who could find out who was killing his men," Kylie told him, "the Zodiac killings"

"Miss Hunter employed him," Lola told them.

Kylie and John froze; they just looked at each other.

"You mean that Violet Hunter employed Cahill…." Kylie tried to clarify.

"No, Miss Hunter has connection, many connections. She is a powerful woman. She has assassins… dangerous men who do her bidding…"

Kylie gaped as she turned to John.

"It's a power play, the whole thing was a power play," Kylie gaped, " Violet sends the Zodiac killer to target specific men in his clan. Beat them to a pulp and then trash their remains so that there can be no trace."

"Then leaves Cahill confused and feeling vulnerable, like he needs protection," John added, "Which is why he tracked down Sherlock, originally to find out who did it, and now because Violet Hunter needed his brain."

"What's her plan Lola?" Kylie asked, "You had to have overheard."

"Power," Lola said with a dreamy smile though her drugged haze, "All Miss Hunter wants is power."

"Where's her next target?" John asked, "We know she blew up half the government and sent the note to try to take control, but where is her next target?"

"She said something about parliament," Lola thought, closing her eyes briefly before opening them widely at Kylie, "Is this helping Sherlock? He can't die, I love him…"

"And I love him too," Kylie told her, "But to help him, we have to stop Violet's plan. Where is her next target? She already got parliament."

"She said something about staying near by," Lola said wracking her brain, "That they were close to all the chaos. Two of the biggest landmarks."

Kylie turned to John, "She hit parliament, so what's close by… oh…"

"Big ben," John said in a low whisper, "She's going after big ben…."

**Review?**


	120. Chapter 120

**A HUGE thanks to everyone who reviewed! I seriously love you all!  
**

**A huge thanks to OReal770, Gwilwillith, alovelycupofcoffee, BekCholie, Chelgallifreya221B613, Elleari, Ahsilaa, fanfreak4ever, and bored411 for their amazing reviews! Seriously, thanks so much you guys! You have no idea how much your feedback makes me happy!  
**

**Heres the next one!  
**

**Enjoy!**

Mary walked back into the waiting room as she held a piping hot cup of tea in her hand, frowning as she stopped in her tracks. The nurse's station was busy as ever outside of Sherlock's room, but the seats that her fiancé and best friend had occupied not ten minuets earlier.

Maybe they wandered into Sherlock's room?

Mary peered through the now open doorway. Only a nurse occupied the room, changing something on his IV as he lay on the bed, steadily breathing but unconscious. They were starting the detox… Kylie would for sure be here for this….

Mary frowned further and wandered out to the main waiting room finding only a young family and Mycroft occupying separate parts of the room.

Mycroft was sitting in the chair toying in annoyance with his umbrella as he glared in annoyance at his phone.

"Waiting for a phone call?" Mary asked as she wandered over.

Mycroft glanced up at her, "yes, unfortunately the Americans are not always as timely as they say."

"Sorry bout that," Mary said with a small smile, "You seen Kylie and John? I can't seem to find them."

Mycroft's head snapped up, "They are not with my brother?"

Mary frowned in concern, "No…"

Mycroft picked up the phone, unlocking it to find not his usual plain grey backdrop, but instead a picture of a happy German Shepard on a beach in San Diego. He rolled his eyes in annoyance of the woman who cared so much for his brother.

"Is that? Kylie's phone?" Mary asked before putting two and two together, "Where did they go?"

"Knowing Miss Gibbs and her disability to listen to those who have concern for her, after the people who did this to my brother," Mycroft said as he stood up and dialed a number on the phone, putting it to his ear as he walked out of the hospital with Mary close behind.

"I need a trace on my mobile," Mycroft told the person on the other end of the line, "I can be reached by this number. Make sure it is secure an put the American's through."

Mycroft paused as he walked towards a black sedan; Mary furrowed her eyebrows at him.

"What do you mean all of NATO received similar warnings?" Mycroft asked, his voice being raised ever so slightly.

"Well tell them we weren't the ones who sent it," Mycroft told the person firmly.

"Why on earth would we suddenly believe that bombing all of the world powers would be a grand idea?" Mycroft snapped at the phone before sighing, "Just put them through."

Mycroft hung up as he opened up the car door and sighed as he got in, the phone beeping with a text message almost immediately.

Mycroft opened it as he got in, Mary following immediately.

Rolling his eyes once more, he began typing a message back.

"Where are they?" Mary asked.

"It seems that they are in Westminster headed back towards parliament," Mycroft said in great annoyance.

"Take me there," Mary said instantly.

Mycroft chuckled as he began typing on Kylie's phone, "I am afraid I cant do that."

"Why?" Mary asked with a deathly tone.

"Because it is being handled as we speak. You do not need to associate yourself with that." Mycroft told her simply.

"Where are you taking me?" Mary asked.

"Somewhere, where I know you wont be able to leave," Mycroft told her as the car sped down the street.

**^*(&)(*_ )!**

"Really?" Mary asked as the door was opened for her by a heavily armed man in a suit, "The Thames House?"

Mycroft grinned at her as a woman in black approached him, typing away on her mobile.

"The arrangements have been made sir," She commented as she looked up at Mycroft.

"Very good," Mycroft told her as the guard urged Mary forward as Mycroft began to walk inside the secure entrance, sending a look back at Mary and the guard, "Make sure that Miss Morstan doesn't leave your sight."

The guard nodded and pulled Mary into a room, as Mycroft and his PA kept walking down the hall.

Mary stumbled into the room as the man shoved her in gently, closing the door and standing in front of it sternly.

Mary looked around her at the room. It was wallpapered elegantly as a few comfy armchairs lined the windowless room.

"Really?" Mary asked the guard, "I'm being babysat?"

"The nation is in crisis miss," the guard replied, "You are technically a person of interest…"

"Person of…." Mary began before pinching the bridge of her nose; "Mycroft put me as a PERSON OF INTEREST?"

"Yes miss," The guard told her, "That's what my orders say."

"Listen bud," Mary said looking at him, "My fiancé and best friend are out there trying to save Britain from total collapse while you lot play around on the phone with NATO, but I assure you that they need me."

"NATO believes that we sent nuclear bombs towards them, so I wouldn't hold your breath on getting out of here until this is resolved miss," the guard told her, "But then again, you know all about that don't you."

Mary gaped; World War III was really on the brink. Britain vs. every other world power. How had this happened?

"Sit down Miss," the guard told her, "you're going to be here for a while."

"May I go to the loo?" Mary asked.

"Later," the guard told her, "Sit down."

"I don't think you understand," Mary told him, "I am on my period and if I don't change my tampon soon, I'm going to be a waterfall of menstruation…."

Obvious disgust covered the guards face, "Fine," he said as he opened the door, allowing Mary to step out.

"This way Miss," the guard told her, leading her down the hallway once more.

They reached the rest room and the guard opened the door for her.

"Thank you," Mary told him as she stepped in the private restroom.

The guard stepped in as well and stood in front of the door just as he had in the other room.

Mary just looked at him; there were no stalls in this rest room.

"Uh, no," Mary told him, "What do you think you are doing?"

"You aren't to leave my sight miss," the guard told her.

"That means you get to be a pervert too?" Mary asked.

"No miss, I…" the guard began before Mary cut him off once more, a fire blazing in her eyes.

"You like to take advantage of prisoners? You like to lock them in the bathroom with you and look at them while you humiliate them?" Mary asked walking towards the man, backing him up towards the door.

"Because I wont tolerate that pervert," Mary told him, "I know my rights as a prisoner of war and I am very good friends with that boss of your Mycroft Holmes. I swear to God if you so much as look at me, I will…"

"I'll just be outside Miss," the guard told her, opening the door and shutting it behind him.

Mary made sure he was out before quietly locking the door behind him, turning to look for anyway out that she could. Her head was beginning to hurt once more, but she pushed the pain away. She needed to find a way out of this place, get to John and Kylie before they did something absurd.

Mary looked at the windowless wall, there had to be a way out. Her eyes scoured the wall before she saw an air duct near the floor.

She bent down and looked at it, she could see some light coming through it. Was this an air duct? Whatever it was, this was probably her way out. Mary fished in her pockets finding a coin and using it to unscrew the screws on the vent.

Mary silently removed the cover before looking at it. It was going to be a tight fit, but Mary thanked God for her petite frame. She removed her jacket and pushed it through before crawling in herself.

Mary began crawling towards the light as she heard a knock on the door, "Miss?" the guard inquired.

Mary crawled faster in the tight space; she only had a few more moments before the entire Thames house began looking for her.

Finally she saw it, flickering light. She had reached the end, a gap in the metal of the duct that had rusted. She covered her hands with the jacket and began hitting the metal with her hands trying to force it open.

Thank God for rust and the cheapness of the British government. The soft aluminum that had been rusted so badly that it bent easily as she made the hole bigger. After a few moments and some pain, she was finally able to wriggle out of the hole and onto the back lot of the Thames house.

Mary looked around her as she brushed herself off trying to figure out where she was. Mary walked towards the corner of the building, peering around it to see the same entrance that they had came in, the black sedan still parked out front. Mary saw the driver leaning against the car enjoying a cigarette before his phone rang and he began to wander away from the car talking to someone on his phone.

"I don't bloody care Clair, you are the one who was sneaking around behind my back!" the man argued as Mary ran quickly and slyly towards the car, hiding on the other side, out of the man's view.

"Because of me?" the man gaped, "Really its my fault you let another man in your pants?"

Mary prayed that her and John would never end up that way as she tried the passenger door, finding it open and climbing in, hopping over the consul and into the driver seat, finding the car to be button started and eyed the man, pressing the button.

The engine roared to life as the man gaped at the car.

"OI!" he yelled as he dropped the phone and began chasing after the car.

"Sorry mate," Mary said as she stomped on the gas, wheeling the car away and headed towards Westminster and the parliament building, hoping that she would find John and Kylie in time.

***&() #) **

"The target is Big Ben, but what's the goal of doing it?" John asked as he and Kylie sat in the back of a cab racing towards Westminster once more.

"Well think about it," Kylie said looking at him, "Parliament was blown up today. Big Ben is extremely close to it as thousands of response crews, government officials, families, and news reporters flood the scene…"

John looked at her with horror, "Parliament was to draw attention, big ben is the actual attack."

"That's my best guess," Kylie muttered before turning to the driver, "Anyway we could go faster mate?"

The driver was silent as he drove on.

"We have to stop this Kylie," john muttered to her, "We can't let this happen."

Kylie sighed and looked at her friend, "I know John."

Neither of them said it, but they both knew that this was going to be the most dangerous thing they had ever done. Both of them had faced psychopaths, mass murders, criminals, serial killers, and even a couple crime bosses; but it was unspoken knowledge that this was much more dangerous that all of that. Both had a bad feeling about what was about to occur.

Neither of them knew if they were going to make it out alive. If they were ever going to see the people that they loved once more…. But to save thousands of other lives and stop the third world war from occurring, their lives would have to be the sacrifice.

**Review?**


	121. Chapter 121

**Thanks so much to all of my amazing reviewers!**

**Sherlockian2205: Sorry, I know that they have been short lately, but I have had a crazy schedule and it's as much as I can get up! I'll try to get some longer ones up this weekend!**

**Bored411: Ballsy… love it. Mary is pretty ballsy…. She'll get even more later. Just wait until the wedding.**

**ChelGallifreya221B613: Sorry! I haven't been really looking at what I am typing! I apologize!**

**Fanfreak4ever: Thanks so much my dear! Means a lot! **

**A HUGE Thanks to the thegirlwiththebrowneyes and alovelycupofcoffee for their reviews as well!**

**Here's the next one! We're getting to the end guys! **

"I still can't believe that this many people are drawn to the site of national chaos," John muttered as they climbed out of the cab a few blocks away.

"Seriously though," Kylie muttered as they made those way through the blocked streets at a jogging pace, "who says 'oh yeah, parliament just got blown up in a terrorist attack and there's another impending threat on the nation. Let's go have a look shall we?'"

John snorted as he followed towards the crowded square. Once they finally reached the edge of the square, both of them stopped in their tracks, frozen at what they saw. Neither of them expected it to be like this. They knew it was packed, but they never thought it would be this bad.

Reporters, sobbing loved ones, protesters, conspiracy theorists claiming this was the governments way of moving towards communism, fire department, police, paramedics, politicians, and on lookers cover the square as dust and smoke from the wreckage wove through it all.

"This is what she wanted," Kylie muttered, "The parliament served as a factor to wound the government and to create a trap…."

"Bringing more and more people to be killed in the devastation," John completed the thought.

They looked at each other once more before pushing through the crowd and towards the famous clock tower. They pushed through the thick crowd of people trying their damndest to stay together and find their way through.

**^(* &#()* )**

Greg Lestrade urged his car through the traffic cursing at his phone as his call was sent to voice mail for the third time.

He chucked the phone on the seat and cursed Kylie Gibbs for not giving him a heads up. Parliament had been bombed, half the government was dead, his partner had been murdered, his anthropologist and coroner had stolen a police vehicle, and to top it all off, his star detective and his blogger were missing… If he needed the annoying sod named Sherlock Holmes and his girlfriend/fiancé/whatever the hell they were, it was now.

He just wished that Mycroft would pick up his goddamn phone. He was the British government, if it were at a time like this when Parliament had been blown to pieces, it was now, to cooperate and fill in Scotland Yard.

His phone beeped once more. He glanced at the phone.

"Bout Bloody time," He muttered to himself as he opened the message from Mycroft Holmes.

He read the text as he drove down the road.

_Greg It's Kylie. Big Ben is the next target, midnight. Get everyone out. Its not Al Qaeda, it's a new psychopath named Violet Hunter. Don't let anyone else believe its Al Qaeda. John and I are trying to stop it, just get everyone out._

_-KG_

Lestrade nearly crashed his car as he read the text in a stunned gaze.

Big Ben.

In the middle of London, Big Ben. It was next to the already destroyed British government building. The parliament had been in session, what was to stop the attack form killing the thousands of people who had swarmed to the scene? How in the HELL were they supposed to get them all out?

If they were to succeed, this would most likely be the largest terrorist attack Britain had ever seen. He still didn't understand why, but then again, who knew with psychopaths?

Dear Lord, another one? Psychopaths swarmed to London as if Sherlock Holmes and Kylie Gibbs dragged them their by a huge magnet. How it was possible for all of these nut-jobs to be involved in his town and with his friends, he had no idea, but he knew that he needed to stop this.

He dialed Mycroft's number and was immediately sent to voicemail.

He hung up his phone and cursed to himself as he sped down the road, sirens roaring. Why wasn't he picking up? He needed to talk to Mycroft. He needed instructions. He bloody ran the British government and he wouldn't even take calls when there was a terrorist attack? What happened to helping Scotland Yard?

He needed his team. If they were ever going to prevent this…he needed his team.

He checked his watch. They had an hour…. only an hour before a bomb went off in the middle of London, sending the British nation to its knees.

***&*( #) **

Kylie pocketed the phone once more as she shoved her way through the crowd with John.

"You sure that involving Lestrade is the best idea?" John asked, "I mean he has every right to arrest us on the spot."

"He can mediate with Mycroft while we do this," Kylie said as she tried to shove her way through the crowd.

"Yeah well we have to find them first," John said as he hopped up on the ledge of a fountain and scoured the crowd.

Kylie hopped up as well, ignoring the ache in she shoulder from all the jostling through the crowd.

"I have a hunch," Kylie told him as she eyed a couple of men carrying what looked like large bags of camera equipment.

John followed her gaze.

"Cahill," he muttered as he saw his familiar form.

"I just want to find that bitch," Kylie told him as she hopped down and sprinted towards the group.

"Can we save the world first?" John asked sarcastically before following her.

As they sprinted towards them the crowd began to thin, allowing them a clear view. Kylie saw the group of men struggling with the weight of the bags, what was in there? More bombs?

"KYLIE!" John said to her in a harsh whisper before pulling her backwards and into the crowd, just as the group turned and looked behind them to ensure that no one was watching.

"What are you doing?" Kylie asked as she struggled against her friend.

"We can't just charge in there!" John told her harshly, "Look I know you are pissed, but you cant let your emotions interfere with this. Kylie we aren't even armed. You think that just running in there is a smart idea? We need help and we need a plan."

Kylie just looked at her friend. She wanted nothing more than to run in there and kick the crap out of Cahill and that Violet Hunter bitch who drugged and tortured the man she loved. But he had a point, they were going up against some heavily armed people and all that they had with them was some change and maybe a pen.

"Damn you and your rational logic," Kylie muttered running a hand through her hair.

John sighed as his eyes covered the crowd, racking his brain for a plan, any plan to help get them out of this.

"This is usually the part where Sherlock has an epiphany," Kylie muttered as she twirled around looking at every inch of the square as best she could through the crowd.

"Yeah well, right now we don't have his brain," John told her, "We can do this Kylie, God knows you have the closest intellect to Sherlock I've ever seen."

"You're no dummy yourself," Kylie told him with a smile.

"Not how Sherlock sees it," John muttered.

"We need to think," Kylie told him as she saw a police car sweep onto the scene, when an angry looking Lestrade hopped out.

"Here's the plan," Kylie said looking at John.

**%&*& (**

Lestrade looked around at the scene, this was insane. How in the hell was he supposed protect this city?

"Greg," John said as he jogged over to him.

"John what in the…." Lestrade began.

"No time, just listen," John told him, "Kylie and I need weapons and we need you and your men to get everyone out of here and then surround the building. We are going to try to hold them up…"

"I'm not letting you two…"

"We have Mycroft's inside man," John told him, "Just do it, please!"

John stared at his friend as internal debate raged through Greg Lestrade's mind.

"Be careful will you?" Lestrade said before handing John his weapon and his backup.

"Thank you," John told him before nodding and running back through the square, the guns safely in his pocket.

"IMMEIDATE EVACUATION IS NEEDED. PLEASE LEAVE THE SQUARE IMMEDIATELY." Lestrade's voice said coming over the loud speakers.

"OH MY GOD! ITS ANOTHER ATTACK!" someone screamed.

Chaos began taking over the square.

"PLEASE REMAIN CALM AND EXIT THE PREMISE," Lestrade said once more.

Gunshots rang out from the corner of the square.

….Kylie….

John ran as fast as he could through the square as chaos rang all around him.

Screaming.

That's all he could hear was screaming. Pure fear emanating in the square around him as people tried to get out as fast as they could.

"PLEASE REMAIN CALM!"

He whirled around in the middle of the street. Chaos had imploded and taken over central London. Women, men, and children were running with their belongings as fast as they could to get away.

He gazed up at the London landmark seeing the hands on the clock 11:55... They had five minutes to stop this disaster before it happened. The entire British government dead, his friend was in the hospital fighting for his life, while his other friend was most likely shot. He had to get there; he had to help her.

He hit the ground as a large man ran into him. Footsteps raged all around him as he tried to scramble to his feet without getting trampled by the people around him.

He had a task to complete. It needed to be done. They had a plan. Kylie was counting on him.

He pushed himself up and looked around; that's when he saw her. The woman he loved... From across the crowded square. Mary was standing on the fountain as to get a better view. Her eyes met his as their gaze locked. She looked at him with a mixture of love, worry, and relief. All that she wanted to do was find him, he could see it.

"JOHN!" She called his name as she jumped off the fountain and sprinted towards him.

He tore his gaze from her and sprinted in the other direction. He wanted nothing more than to run towards her and take her into his arms, but he couldn't he had a job to do.

A duty. A duty he couldn't involve her with.

He just wanted to tell her that he love her one more time. He didn't tell her often enough. He had never believed in last words. It just didn't logically make sense to him, but right now, he knew what he wanted his last words to be to her.

He pulled out his phone as he slowed and rounded a corner and into an alleyway, typing a single message.

_I love you. Don't ever forget that._

He let out a shaky breath as he put the phone back in his pocket. He knew it would break her heart... But he was almost damn sure that he wasn't going to come out of this alive...

**Review?**


	122. Chapter 122

**A HUGE thanks to all of my amazing readers and reviewers! We are getting there guys! Almost over! I love you all so much. You guys have been so supportive!**

**A huge thanks to thegirlwiththebrowneyes, bored411, fanfreak4ever, ChelGallifreya221B613, alovelycupofcoffee, and X-poisoncherry-X for their amazing reviews!**

**Heres the next one! Its another shorty! Sorry!**

Kylie ran to the tower entrance that she had witnessed Cahill and his cronies enter not five minutes before. She had managed to convince John to go and get Lestrade's help while she kept a tail on the men. As much as she wanted to jump out and beat the crap out of each and everyone of them, her and John had agreed that a) she would wait for him to get back b) that they needed weapons and c) that they would only interfere and do something irrational if and when it was only necessary.

All she was supposed to do is find out what they were up to and keep an eye on them and whatever attack they were supposed to do.

She reached the entrance, peering through the door as he back was pressed against the wall next to it. She had to be careful. Not seeing anyone, Kylie pulled out her mobile.

11:52…. Shit.

Peering in one more to make sure that the coast was clear, she slowly opened the door and slipped in. She hurried down the hallway as quickly as she could, praying that she was going in the right direction.

Kylie slowed as she heard voices in the distance. She couldn't understand what they were saying but they were coming from up the staircase to her right. She slowly crept up the stairs, trying to remain as quiet as possible. The voices grew louder and more pronounced with each step.

"Don't put it there you sod," Cahill growled, "Seriously do you even have a brain? You heard Miss Hunter it has to explode outwards."

"But I thought we needed to take down the building?" another male voice asked.

"It will…." Cahill told him angrily.

Kylie reached the end of the staircase and peered around the corner. Cahill, the large man, and two others were bent over something near the window. Kylie couldn't tell, but they seemed to be securing it into place. She wanted a look at it, she needed to see what on earth they were dealing with.

"Your boss had better keep to her word," Cahill told the men, "She doesn't know who she is dealing with."

"Oh she knows exactly whom she is dealing with," one of the other men scoffed as he stepped back.

Kylie's breath caught in her throat. She had little knowledge or expertise in bombs and bomb making/diffusing but she had never been so thankful for the lessons that ZIva had taught her while she had been cooped up at her father's house with Sherlock after he faked his death.

It was obvious none of the men in front of her had any idea of what they were dealing with. Well, that was a lie. The large man seemed extremely wary and kept trying to get to his phone without Cahill noticing…

But the bomb, was not a bomb. No, it was much worse… it was a dirty bomb. There were two capsules connected to what looked like steal and aluminum tubes that connected to the main explosive mixture and what was known as the mixing chamber. Those small capsules were what frightened Kylie the most. Just a regular old bomb seemed like a piece of cake.

Those small capsules were meant to send the radiation that they held all over the square and London…

"You think that your boss has connections?" Cahill bit back.

"I believe the Zodiac killer she has under her thumb has proven that already," the man told him.

The man was then thrown up against a wall as Cahill was in his face in an instant.

"What do you…." Cahill began before….

BEEP BEEP.

_Shit… _Kylie thought as she froze. The beeping had come from Mycroft's phone in her pocket.

"What in the hell was that?" Cahill asked as he dropped his grip on the man and pulled out a gun.

"Someone else is here," The man against the wall said as he took a few more steps towards Kylie.

She tried to climb down the stairs as quickly and silently as possible.

"GIBBS!" Cahill roared as shots rang out from behind her.

Kylie dove behind the corner as the staircase turned, flying down the steps as quickly as she possibly could.

"Kill her," Cahill told the large man, "We'll take care of the rest of this."

The large man nodded and tore down the staircase after her.

"Come on," Cahill told the others, "Lets get the rest done with."

Kylie rounded the corner and caught her breath shakily. Adrenaline was filling her veins. She could hear Lestrade's voice in the background trying to get everyone out. John was on his way.

God she needed back up right now. She could hear heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. She was trapped in the hallway, she couldn't leave the building, she had to slip past all of these men and try her damndest to diffuse that bomb. She tried the door next to her, hoping that it would be open… no luck.

The footsteps were getting closer. Kylie looked around. She had no way out, no weapons, no way of defending her self, no way to hide.

She quickly ran to the stairs and laid herself flat against the wall beside the stairs, careful to stay out of the line of sight of the person coming down. The large man came charging down and stopped in his tracks as he heard Kylie begin charging back up the stairs.

"OI!" He yelled as he charged back up after her with, surprisingly, grace and quickness.

Kylie felt a large hand grab her and yank her back down the stairs with such great force, that she had no chance at making it up the stairs.

She hit the staircase with before she was yanked up and thrown up against a wall with such force that the wind was knocked out of her slightly.

"What in the hell are you doing girl?" the man asked her in a harsh whisper.

"Trying to save your sorry as from the effects of a dirty bomb," Kylie snipped back as she struggled in his grasp.

"I just found out it was a dirty bomb," the man told her harshly.

"Just like you just found out that Violet Hunter was going to blow up Parliament?" Kylie told him looking him dead in the eye.

The man just stared at her.

"We're on the same team," Kylie told him, "Can we just work together and stop this from happening? These bastards nearly killed me, my friends, and the man I loved, not to mention killed a bunch of people. I just want to help you ensure that that wont happen again."

The man studied her for a moment before releasing her.

"Thank you," Kylie told him before pulling out Mycroft's phone and looking at why it had beeped.

_1 Unread message: Kylie Gibbs_

Kylie rolled her eyes and opened it. Mycroft….

_I dearly hope you are not where I think you are Miss Gibbs. I would hate to send force after you, Miss Morstan, and Dr. Watson._

_-MH_

"My superiors having issues with your being here?" The large man asked.

"Yes, but right now you need my help more than he can effect you. Trust me, Mycroft will be a little more upset if a bomb hits London," Kylie told him as she typed a message back to Mycroft.

_Yes, well… Send force if you want. I'm trying to stop a dirty bomb from going off in central London and killing us all while starting WWIII….._

_-KG_

"We need a plan," Kylie said as the large man raised his gun and shot three rounds down an empty hallway, causing Kylie to nearly jump out of her skin in surprise.

"There," the large man told her non-chalantly, "You're dead, now lets go stop this."

The door at the end of the hall flung open as John sprinted in, a gun at the ready.

He just paused and looked at the large man and Kylie standing there.

"You okay?" Kylie asked with a raised eyebrow at his frantic and confused expression.

"I heard… gunshots…." John said puzzled.

"We're fine," Kylie told him, "John Mycroft's henchman, Mycroft's henchmen John," she said giving introductions, "Now, lets go save the world shall we?"

John and the large man just looked at Kylie as she walked up the stairs.

"She always like this?" the man asked as he sprinted up after he with John in tow.

"Yeah," John told him, "You should see her and Mycroft's brother."

**^(#*& )(*_!)**

Kylie looked around the hall as she reached the top of the stairs, seeing that the coast was clear, she the turned her attention to the bomb.

She knelt in front of the device, looking at it intently as she tried to recall every one of Ziva's words.

The large man and John knelt next to her on either side as they stared at the bomb.

"Either of you know how to diffuse a bomb?" Kylie asked as she looked at the wiring.

"Not a bloody clue," John told her as a noise began to come from another part of the building.

"You two stay here," the large man told them, "Work on this one, I'll try to find the other and keep Cahill away form you lot."

"That will blow your cover," John told him.

"London getting blown to smitherings by a dirty bomb usurps drug ring," the man said as he pulled out his weapon and wandered in the same direction Cahill had taken earlier.

"Dirty bomb?" john asked in shock as he looked back at Kylie.

"What time is it?" Kylie asked as she took out a Swiss army knife and pulled the scissors out of it, following wires with her hand.

John checked his watch, "11:57. You know what you are doing?"

"Not a clue," Kylie told him, "But hey, what can you do when you have two bombs, no time, and a war to try to avoid?"

Gunshots rang out once more and male voices began yelling.

"Shit," John cursed under his breath, "Now would be a good time to have an epiphany Kylie."

"no pressure," Kylie muttered as she paused on a wire, "Say a prayer John."

John looked at her, "You've been a good friend Kylie."

"Its been fun John," Kylie told him before taking a breath, closing her eyes and cutting the wire.

…**..Review?**


	123. Chapter 123

**A MASSIVE thanks to all of my readers and reviewers! Seriously you guys have been so wonderful! I couldn't have asked for better things to have happened to this story. When I first began writing the Bone interpreter, I had no idea that anyone would read it, let alone I would have this many people following it still. I know that I have things I need to work on and I appreciate the feedback that I get. You guys are helping me improve and hopefully I will continue to.**

**This is the last chapter. It has been an amazing journey with this story… but it's been far too long.**

**A HUGE thanks to Elleari, alovelycupofcoffee, Gwilwillith, ChelGallifreya221B613, thegirlwiththebrowneyes, sherlockian2205, and bored411 for their reviews! I REALLY appreciate feedback. I don't think you guys understand how much of a review whore I am….**

**Anyway, onto the final chapter!**

Nothing.

There was nothing.

Am I dead? Is this what death was like? Nothingness.

Kylie felt something in her hand. Could she still be dead and feel?

She opened one eye and let out a breath of relief. The light on the bomb before her had stopped blinking. They had diffused it.

She heard John next to her breathe a breath of relief as footsteps were scuffling in the same direction that the large man had gone. Shouting and gunshots followed.

"Whelp," Kylie said quickly getting up, "next."

John grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

Kylie just looked at him skeptically before he pulled Lestrade's weapon out of his pocket handing it to her. Kylie nodded with understanding as she removed the safety. Cahill and the two men had the large man out numbered, he needed help. They needed to stop that bomb.

They both got up and sprinted towards the back of the building where he had disappeared. Pausing before thy rounded a corner, they glanced at each other before they both pointed their guns at the empty hallway.

Gunshots rang out again.

"Come out you traitor!" Cahill yelled.

The large man was still alive...

They rounded another corner before they reached a knocked over table and were pulled down suddenly by two strong hands.

"You two have a death wish?" the large man asked them, "Who just runs into a room where shots are being fired?"

"To save your ass," Kylie said grabbing John's wrist to look at the time, "it's 11:59, I need to get to that bomb."

"We'll cover you," John said glancing at the large man.

He nodded, "Cahill and the other two are to the right around the corner. One is wounded."

"just don't let me get shot boys," Kylie said as she readied her weapon.

She just looked at the before running out firing at the wall to ensure they couldn't get a shot. She looked at the bomb. Seconds ticked on the ironic timer..

A bomb with the click ticking down... Really? How much more action movie could this situation get?

Kylie set to work as John and the large man kept firing at Cahill's men. She traced the wires with her hand, trying to remember her thought process on the last one. She took a deep breath and snipped the wire.

Nothing…

The red lights of the timer faded as she let out a breath. Second bomb diffused.

Kylie got up, grabbing her gun and firing the rest of her magazine at Cahill and his men before sprinting the other direction with John and the large man at her side.

Gunshots came from behind them. John turned and fired more rounds until his magazine ended as well. Kylie and John chucked their guns to the side as they sprinted out of the building as quickly as they could.

"LEFT!" The large man yelled as John and Kylie dove left and sprinted down the stairs.

"GET THEM!" Cahill's voice roared from behind them.

Kylie took steps two at a time as they fled the scene praying that they would get out of this alive.

More gunshots rang out and something heavy hit the ground behind them.

Oh no…

Kylie spun round to see John running back towards the large man now lying on the ground.

"Stay with us!" John told him as he and Kylie began to drag him towards the door, not thirty feet away.

The two men and Cahill were hot on their heels and bullets flew past them.

"No where to run," Cahill laughed as he walked behind the other two men who stopped firing and held their guns on the two of them and the barely conscious large man. Kylie glanced down at him. He had taken a bullet to the upper chest, he was bleeding rather quickly. He needed medical help.

"No where to hide," Cahill said with a smirk as they stood there frozen, having no where to go and not wanting to leave the large man, "looks like I win after all. You lot have been a thorn in my side. All that I want to do is complete what was asked of me…"

Kylie's eyes dropped to the large man once more. She saw John's hand slowly pulling the gun out of Cahill's hand. What was he…? Then she saw it, a glint of metal near the foot closest to her…. a plan.

"No where to go," Cahill said as he wandered non-chalantly over to them as he eyed Kylie, "Now I can see what Sherlock sees in you. You are a fighter aren't you? No wonder he picks his friend and girlfriend as you two. I still have to say Lola was better for him…"

"You don't know anything about him," Kylie growled as her eyes flicked to the two men holding the guns. One had blood running down his arm from the bullet wound in his shoulder.

"Oh I know more about Sherlock Holmes than you do," Cahill told her, "I grew him into who he is today. He just doesn't see that. I molded him, Lola was at his side helping…" he trailed off with a smirk, "tell me, where is Sherlock now?"

Kylie just glared as anger surged through her body. All that she wanted to do was beat this man into a living pulp, then toss his body off a bridge and set him on fire.

"Safe," John inputted for Kylie, sensing her anger, "Where you lot can't touch him or drug him."

Cahill began laughing, "Oh he's just now remembering the good life."

"The good…." Kylie trailed off closing her eyes in disgust. He really thought that Sherlock being doped up was better than him with a clear mind? He really did not know that wonderful man at all.

"But I'm done talking," Cahill told them, "I'm going to make a phone call now, and if you three cost me this business opportunity…" Cahill just glanced at them as he found a contact on his phone, "I am going to ensure that you will suffer for that."

Cahill put the phone to his ear as Kylie and John glanced at each other. They had to do it, and they had to do it now.

Cahill turned around and began pacing back towards the stairs, waiting for the ringing to stop when he heard two gunshots and bodies hit the ground.

Those idiots killed the girl and…

"Give me the phone Cahill," the girl told him as she shoved a gun barrel into the back of his neck.

The doors flung open and Scotland Yard rushed onto the scene.

"You have nowhere to go, nowhere to hide," she told him.

Cahill heard guns all around him click as they dropped a round into their chambers. He was surrounded. This was over.

Cahill heard the phone pick up as it was taken out of his hands.

Kylie snatched the phone and put it to her ear, praying that it would be the woman that she wanted to talk to on the other end.

"Cahill," a woman's voice said on the other end in a menacing tone, "Why in the HELL did my bombs not go off?"

"Cahill's not available at the moment," Kylie told her, "He's a little busy, but I'm sure Pentonville will let you speak with him soon."

The woman was silent on the other line as she took in the information.

"But I would love to speak with you Violet Hunter," Kylie told her as she waved Lestrade off from taking the phone from her and pointed at John and the paramedics who were helping the large man, "You see you almost murdered me and my friends, not to mention torture the man that I love."

"You are the red headed bloke's wife?" Violet smirked on the other end, "I didn't know she had this much fire. Well, your husband failed, little Jessica is still going to the sex trade."

…this bitch was selling little girls into sex rings?

"No, I'm not," Kylie said with gritted teeth as anger and disgust raged through her, "I think you remember Sherlock Holmes? You drugged him, and nearly sent him into an overdose just because you needed him to do something for one of your bombs. Trust me, we will find that girl you want to 'sell' we will find her, and I will rip you into shreds."

"Oh, I'm so frightened," Violet Hunter told her before she gasped, "Oh you are that girl Thomas was so obsessed with."

"This has nothing to do with Thomas," Kylie said through gritted teeth.

"You are that little slut…"

"LISTEN BITCH!" Kylie yelled in the phone, "I have taken down Moriarty, I have taken down Thomas, I can take you down in a heart beat. And trust me I will. My friends and I, we are damn good at what we do, and I will tell you nothing makes us more upset then a terrorist attack on a country we love, and a crazy bitch who forgot to take her Midol. You think that you can get away with this? Think again, because we will not stop until you are gone for good. I will put a bullet through you Miss Violet Hunter; I will end you. And that's a promise."

Kylie hung up the phone before she could get a response. Turning back to a group of men including John and Lestrade and a few obscure members from the Yard gaping at her.

"I want Cahill skinned," She told Lestrade as she walked over to John and the paramedics, kneeling next to the large man.

He just looked at her as he fought to stay conscious.

Kylie bent towards him, "Thank you for what you did," she whispered to him as she laid a kiss on his forehead, "Get better soon."

Kylie then stood up and walked out into the night air alone. Smoke still filled the air as police vehicles surrounded the door she had left. She made her way through them carefully as she looked towards the ruins that used to be the parliament building.

Hundreds of people had lost their lives tonight, including, her friend, and most of the leaders of this country.

Charlie… it was almost as if she didn't believe that he was gone. It was like he was going to show up at any moment and tell her about some girl that he was trying to sleep with.

As she stood there in the middle of the square, the smoke from the parliament building and charred flesh filling her lungs, the collapse of the British government was much more real.

War was on the brink and death and despair surrounded them as the British nation lay in ruins. They had no parliament, no way to function in their typical ways as they had for hundred and hundreds of years. Change was coming upon them, big change.

Kylie made her way towards the street as she walked through the square, looking back up at the clock tower. At least they had saved more lives, saved another iconic building. Sure they had stopped radiation from flooding Westminster and the rest of central London, but Kylie couldn't help but feel guilty about the death and destruction that had occurred in what was now a pile of blood, sacrifice and rubble.

It wasn't her fault, she knew that. But there could have been someway to stop it, just like they had with the dirty bombs.

She ran a hand through her hair as her feet touched the cobblestone streets. The British nation was in ruins. Mycroft was probably going crazy trying to control the ruins of the government, but if there was someone who could do it, it was Mycroft Holmes.

Kylie didn't even want to think about the after math of British politics. NATO and the UN would interfere, she had someone else who needed her… Sherlock…

She hated leaving him, but she knew that if it were her in that bed, he would have left her with John or someone he trusted to look after her while he dealt with it. She needed to get to Sherlock…

**&^#*( ***

John walked out into the night air and helped the paramedics haul the large man into the back of the ambulance.

"He going to make it?" Lestrade asked him as he walked up beside his friend.

"Looks that way," John told him as he began hearing banging coming from one of the police vehicles, namely the one that Lestrade typically drove.

"Cahill causing a commotion?" John asked Lestrade as he frowned.

Lestrade sighed, "No, Cahill's already being taken to the Thames House for questioning."

"Who's that then?" John asked.

"Your VERY angry fiancé," Lestrade said smirking, "I found her as we were trying to clear people out and she wouldn't stay back so I had to cuff her and throw her in the back of a car to ensure she wouldn't run in there."

John's face fell as the car rocked and he heard Mary's voice cursing at him.

Lestrade clapped him on the shoulder, "Good luck mate. Welcome to the married life."

**^%(&) (!**

Kylie sat in the chair next to Sherlock's bed as the heart monitor beeped in a slow but rhythmic fashion.

He twitched as the heart monitor began beeping faster. She looked at the waves crossing the screen, still rhythmic, but faster.

She looked at him once more. He was still pale, but the blood in the IV stand that they were transfusing into him was helping him gain his color back. His face looked less than peaceful. He may be in a medically induced coma, but he was in pain. This detox was terrible, it was painful to watch.

Kylie reached out and stroked his hair trying to comfort him in some way shape or form, before her hand automatically went to rub circles on his chest. As soon as she felt the layers upon layers of gauze, she pulled her hand back quickly, as if touching his chest had burned her.

Her heart broke as she looked at how much gauze really was on his chest. She wanted to see the damage that that piece of metal had done, but then again, the very thought of it made her sick. How could have something like this happened to such an amazing, wonderful man?

Kylie slowly pulled back the upper part of Sherlock's gown so that she could see his chest. Almost his entire torso was wrapped in thick layers of gauze. A large red spot in the middle of that gauze as some blood from the surgery and the ventricular Tachycardia he had experienced leaked through. She felt tears hit her cheeks. She was crying once more, she couldn't help it. He was in so much pain and she couldn't do anything about it to make it better.

She just wanted him. She wanted him to open his eyes and look at her with those calculating and gorgeous eyes that sparkled with intrigue. She wanted him to hug her. She just wanted him back.

The doctor assured her that they had a long and torturous road ahead of them between the drug abuse and his heart. He needed rehab, he needed rest, he needed a non-stressful environment, and lots and lots of physical and cardiovascular rehabilitation. She knew that Sherlock would hate every minute of it. He wouldn't be allowed to work cases, he would be irritable, bored and craving drugs that he would think he would need. The combination of his heart and the drugs seemed like an impossible task.

If he did take the drugs, they would most likely kill him. If he took cocaine his heart would pretty much explode from the stimulant. He couldn't take anything more than an aspirin after surgery… heart surgery…

They had broken his ribs and cut open his sternum to get to his heart, the pain would be unbearable. For now, it was almost better if he stayed in a coma. John and the doctors told her that in a coma, the patients have a lessened sense of pain if they could feel at all, but she believed that to be a lie. They were trying to comfort her, ensure her that he wasn't suffering, but she could see it in his face.

She looked down at her hands, her eyes falling on the ring that still adorned her left hand through this all. It had flecks of blood still on it, his blood, from when she pressed her now ruined jacket into the gaping wound in his chest. It was almost ironic. The ring, though it wasn't an engagement ring, signified the commitment between them. She didn't know if he realized this, but the left ring finger was the only finger that has a vein leading directly to the heart, and that's the one that she wore the beautiful ring that had his blood on it. It was in a sort of sick and disturbing way more of a pact, more of the fact that they had become closer, more of a single unit through all of this.

Kylie paused for a moment. He had almost died and she was thinking this?

She shut her eyes and grabbed his hand, kissing it before pressing it to her forehead and savoring the fact that his skin was still warm… that he was still alive that's all that mattered. Not a ring, not a commitment, just that he was here and she was at his side.

It was going to be tough, but they would make it through. She loved him with all of her heart and the thought of living without him made the rest of the issues at hand look trivial.

**So don't worry, I'm not ending it! There will be a new story. I have so many ideas that it's absurd for this tale. I will run the Sherlock/Kylie thing into the ground and still probably put out four more stories afterward with the ideas that I have. I know that this story has caused some flack and a bunch of people to hate me as what I have done with Sherlock and the rest of my story, but I stand by what I did. I may have gone about it in the wrong fashion, but I still believe that he needed to evolve on a different level romantically after so long. **

**So thank you to everyone who has stuck with me. The next story is going to be a little less case intensive if that makes sense. Its going to be a lot of the aftermath of this whole fiasco, Moran, Violet Hunter, and the ruins that the world and British nation go through with the destruction of parliament. Not to mention our favorite detective's recover and John/Mary's wedding.**

**If you have anything that you think I need to work on, please let me know. I enjoy helpful criticism and compliments. Or PM me. Any ideas and feedback would be very much appreciated. **

**Thanks so much for reading once more. For real, I love you guys.**

**-Stanleydoodles**


	124. Author's Note

**Hey guys!**

**I just wanted to thank you guys once more for reading my story. I know its been long, I know that I have chased some of you away, and I know most of you still hate me, but I just wanted to thank you for reading. I have loved writing this and I hope you guys have enjoyed reading it!**

**My next story is posted and is Titled "A Study in Three" the title will be explained later… **

**But I REALLY hope you guys go and check it out. It starts off slow, but I have plans for it!**

**Cheers,**

**-Stanleydoodles**


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